Water Snakes

by Crystal Cockman May 13, 2016 Many people confuse harmless water snakes with the venomous water moccasin or cottonmouth snake. This has lead to the death of many of the harmless water snakes. Water moccasins (Agkistrodon piscivorus) are North America’s only venomous...

Orchids in our Woodlands

by Crystal Cockman May 04, 2016 Many people are surprised to find out that we do indeed have orchids growing in our woodlands right here in North Carolina. Probably the most common of orchids is the rattlesnake plantain orchid (Goodyera pubescens). They get their name...

Bull Tallow

by Ruth Ann Grissom April 28, 2016 Red clay.  It’s the bane of Piedmont gardeners.  Heavy and lumpy when wet, it dries as hard as a terra cotta pot.  We spend bundles of money on soil conditioners to make it friable.  We complain about it as much as the English do...

The Cradle of Forestry

by Crystal Cockman April 21, 2016 From the Uwharrie National Forest to the many acres of land in private forestry, Montgomery County is an area where forestry is an important industry and forest management an important topic. NC State University and Montgomery...

A River Trip for the Birds

by Crystal Cockman April 13, 2016 Last week I took my first float trip of the season, down the Uwharrie River from Highway 109 to Hidden Lake. There’s a new access at Highway 109 now with a canoe slide and steps down to the river, thanks to the NC Wildlife Resources...