If you’ve ever been in the woods this time of year and noticed a sweet fragrance but couldn’t pinpoint it, you’re not having olfactory hallucinations — this aromatic wonder grows right here in North Carolina.
Commentary
Capturing moments: Make the most of memorable catches
A few simple tips can turn that image of your once-in-a-lifetime experience on the water from stinker to a potential treasured family heirloom.
Little tunny, fat albert — False albacore are 100% genuine
The awesome run of false albacore off Cape Lookout is unequaled anywhere in the country from the middle of October to the end of November.
The dirt on pH: No chemistry PhD required for gardening
Knowing your soil’s alkalinity and the conditions your desired plants need can help yield better results.
‘Rum Keg Girl’ in Beaufort’s Burying Ground: True story?
Stories persist that she comes out at night and runs around the cemetery, her own haunted playground, where gifts left at her grave sometimes mysteriously move around to different locations.
Fishing is for the birds, and they can show you how, where
It’s true that feathered creatures can be an indicator of what’s going on beneath the surface, it’s important to understand what each bird is, how it fishes, and what it means to us as anglers.
Autumn’s spectacular colors signal our natural connections
Our modern lives often make us feel disconnected from nature, but even if we don’t think we notice, evolution has ensured that our bodies remember the changing seasons.
‘Enjoying,’ not just ‘catching,’ can enhance coastal lure, life
“I think people get too wrapped up in the ‘catching’ aspect of fishing,” says Neill Pollock of Charlotte. “Sure, that’s what we are out there to do but enjoying the water and surroundings is what we should really strive for.”
Nuts about figs? These edible, inverted flowers thrive here
There’s something about figs, the fruit that’s actually not, and the easy-to-propagate tree that — like so many of us — simply loves life on the North Carolina coast.
Redfish through seasons: Target wisely, release carefully
Popular with anglers, to catch red drum, the state saltwater fish, takes experience and know-how, and preserving them for the future requires care and expediency in returning to the water those you boat.
Coastal fall gardening a challenge; can still yield rewards
Autumn is starting to signal its arrival, and while spring planting gets all the attention, this region offers two growing seasons with the promise of success, despite pests and problems unique to the coast.
Expectations: ‘Make the best of the way things turn out’
How and where you set your expectations ahead of a planned fishing trip determines how that adventure will turn out far more than the number of fish boated.
Seagrasses offer habitat; know each type for great fishing
All kinds of creatures find shelter and food in the various types of seagrasses seen along the coast, and careful observation and understanding of what you’re looking at before you cast can help you hook up.
Claude Crews leaves a lasting impression on those he meets
Claude Crews, the longtime Hammocks Beach State Park superintendent, ushered in a new era for state parks and served as a role model for many, including our Sam Bland, who is back with Coastal Review to pay homage.
Indigenous tobacco from ancient seeds: History comes alive
Tobacco was once an important cash crop in the South, but much longer ago, the Cherokee valued it too and meticulously saved their seeds, including some a spelunker found in a cave 2,000 years later.
What if you could no longer do the things you love most?
Capt. Gordon has long held that his favorite aspect of fishing was the anticipation of going, and while that has become more challenging in recent months, the motivation of angling opportunities ahead remains strong.
