NC State and North Carolina Aquarium researchers have traipsed across sand to study the crystal skipper, a butterfly known for its white speckled wings that can only be found in the Bogue Banks area.
Commentary
Tabb’s Trails: Jockey’s Ridge State Park celebrates 50 years
The 426-acre state park in Nags Head is a harsh environment but rewards with self-guided trails taking hikers through dunes, foliage and by flowering plants swarmed by pollinators.
Bulkhead alternatives could reimagine a changing coast
Duke University undergraduate Ava Kocher in this guest commentary explores the value of using living shorelines to protect wetlands and property.
‘Egg drop challenge’ launches ‘egg-cellent’ questions
The incredible, edible egg is also breakable, but at what height? Heidi Skinner has some questions about a Massachusetts Institute of Technology study on the “egg drop challenge.”
Trolling the best way to cover lots of water in search of a bite
Among all the saltwater fishing methods, one way is best when you know fish are out there and you want to keep bait in the water for as long as possible — and it has nothing to do with social media or Scandinavian folklore.
Sam’s Field Notes: Migratory owls and climate change
Naturalist Sam Bland and his wife Bright, while in western Wyoming, recently trekked into the night to observe a researcher who specializes in capturing, banding and monitoring the movements of northern saw-whet owls, a threatened species here in North Carolina.
Preventing Environmental Hazards Act a commonsense bill
Guest opinion by Congressman Greg Murphy: Allowing National Flood Insurance Program payouts to remove a threatened oceanfront structure before it collapses, rather than wait until it creates an environmental disaster, will add flexibility while mitigating risks.
Don’t be bugged by bugs, they show us if a garden is healthy
In today’s Budding Wisdom, Heidi Skinner writes about the two kinds of bugs: “the ones we love and the ones we loathe” and “whether we like them or not, insects definitely have their place.”
For gardening success, it’s all about timing — and old wisdom
The endless old sayings about when to plant are never failsafe, but there is ancient understanding of the natural world, and following its cycles can improve your odds, no matter what kind of gardener you may be.
Likable lichens a bigger part of our lives than we may know
Birds and other animals, as well as humans, have for centuries found useful these complex communities of organisms that are found everywhere on Earth, yet we are still learning about them.
Sandy Run Park: Town trail an overlooked Outer Banks gem
Tabb’s Trails: In our new photo-essay series, coastal reporter, photographer and hiking enthusiast Kip Tabb takes you along, starting with this easy half-mile loop around a pond and marsh in Kitty Hawk.
Doomed to repeat history: What’s in future for NC wetlands?
Guest commentary: Ignoring the past guarantees a grim future for our coastal communities, as the fishermen of Rose Bay warned decades ago. Will we listen now, or once again pay the price for failing to protect our way of life?
It’s time to relearn ancient knowledge our grandparents lived
Lives of convenience have taken us father away from understanding nature’s rhythms and cycles, but many are now coming back around to respecting and revering the land that feeds them.
Tie on the correct leader when targeting the toothiest species
If you want to get a Spanish or king mackerel, shark or bluefish on the end of a line and actually land it, you need to be prepared with the correct leader for each type of fish.
Donald Ensley: A legacy of leadership, friendship, stewardship
Founder’s commentary: Dr. Donald E. Ensley, an accomplished public health educator, environmental champion, and steadfast advocate for North Carolina’s coastal communities, is in hospice care, preparing to leave behind a legacy that will forever shape the places and people he touched.
Don’t judge as convict, sheepshead only criminally delicious
Their black-and-white markings may make them look like jailbirds, but these toothy fish’s diets translate to good eating for us, as well as sporting pursuit.
