Overlooks are special places in the southern mountains
High-elevation overlooks are one of our finest natural resources. These vantage points allow us to rise above our everyday humdrum…
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Charlies Bunion one of best views in Smokies
Are you by chance looking for a high-elevation day-hike that embodies quite a bit of the region’s human history? If…
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The comeback of the turkey a real success
The come back of the wild turkey in the southern mountains in recent years is one of the notable success…
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Scarlet tanagers spar in song
This seems to be a scarlet tanager kind of year. I’ve been seeing and hearing them at my house, along…
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The secretive, intelligent and prolific crow
Like most commonly observed objects, crows flit across our field of vision unheeded. Caw-caw-cawing unmusically … flap-flap-flapping over the fields…
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Box turtles can live 120 years
Five turtle species reside in Western North Carolina: snapping, musk, and painted turtles are primarily found in streams, lakes, and…
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Dragging Canoe was Cherokee’s greatest military leader
Historian E. Raymond Adams has maintained that the warrior with the curious name of Dragging Canoe was “the greatest military…
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Toxic plants of Appalachia
From time to time, I’ve discussed in this space various plants the Cherokees and early settlers utilized for medicinal, edible…
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The peculiar weather of the Smokies
Weather continues to be the enduring topic for conversation here in the Smokies region. Long after the Eric Rudolph furor…
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European boar proliferated in WNC
Numerous non-native plants have been introduced into the southern mountains during the last century or so. Many are now classified…
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Birch stills were once common in the hills
All this spring, golden birch catkins were dangling throughout the woodlands of the Smokies region. These are the male, pollen-carrying…
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Remembering one of WNC’s biggest melees
In 1913, Western North Carolina historian John Preston Arthur described John Denton of Graham County as “the most picturesque mountaineer…
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Stone walls symbolize a delicate balance
OLD STONE WALLS “An entire book might be written about the natural history of an old stone wall.” — Edwin…
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Panther sightings persist in the Smokies
Have you ever seen a mountain lion here in the Smokies region? I haven’t. In fact, the only one I’ve…
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Observing birds is a habit that never grows old
Lately, I’ve been writing a lot about birds. I guess I have them on my mind, in part, because the…
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Geronimo’s brush with WNC
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in a February 2012 edition of The Smoky Mountain News | The names Geronimo and…
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A poet of the mountains
This past weekend was given over to reorganizing the books in my home library. In the process, I relocated a…
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Real deal boardinghouses don’t exist anymore
Are there boardinghouses still operating here in the Smokies region? There are, of course, hotels, inns, bed-and-breakfasts, and motels galore.…
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Possums are the ultimate survivalist
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in a January 2005 issue of The Smoky Mountain News | I became acquainted…
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Start planning the gardens now
Editor’s note: This column first appeared in a January 2006 edition of The Smoky Mountain News. | Have you started making…
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Etowah Mound largest in the Southeast
When I’m in the Atlanta area, I often set aside a few hours to visit the Etowah Indian Mounds State…
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Horse Cove is worth a visit
Editor’s note: This column first appeared in a November 2003 edition of The Smoky Mountain News. Horse Cove is one…
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It’s time for hog jowls and greens
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in a November 2003 edition of The Smoky Mountain News. When I was a boy,…
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Kephart Prong Trail has a unique story
I like visiting those sites here in the Smokies region where there is what I think of as an “overlay.”…
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Cherokee had high regard for owls
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in September 2002 in The Smoky Mountain News The ancient Cherokees were astute observers…
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Money was a motivator for botanical exploration
Editor’s note: This column first appeared in an October 2003 edition of The Smoky Mountain News. The economic considerations behind the…
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Ancient Cherokees found protection from the cold
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in a September 2002 edition of The Smoky Mountain News. It’s only late summer…
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Buzzards have a beauty and power all their own
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in The Smoky Mountain News in August 2003. The recent heavy rains here in…
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‘Ironfoot,’ the hermit of Island Park
Editor’s note: This column first appeared in a September 2014 issue of The Smoky Mountain News. I generally enjoy working in…
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Horsemint is a fascinating, useful plant
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in a July 2010 edition of The Smoky Mountain News Each July since 1991, I’ve…
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Jackson County cabin built from one poplar tree
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in The Smoky Mountain News in July 2004. I recently read about a log…
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Why are the mountains so alluring?
Editor’s note: This column first appeared in a July 2004 edition of The Smoky Mountain News. “To myself, mountains are…
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A rare look into Swain County's past
Editor’s note: This column first appeared in a June 2005 edition of The Smoky Mountain News. Several weeks ago I…
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Pain was the norm with old-time dentistry
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in The Smoky Mountain News on May 14, 2003. Old-time dentistry as practiced here…
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WNC was once home to marble mines
(Editor’s note: This article first appeared in The Smoky Mountain News in June 2004) The destiny of a given region…
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The first truly showy woodland flower
Editor’s note: This column first appeared in The Smoky Mountain News in May 2005. Hepatica doesn’t display the earliest flowers…
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Cherokee planting method was ‘agronomically sound’
Editor’s note: This column first appeared in The Smoky Mountain News in April 2004. These days my wife, Elizabeth, and…
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Blackgum tree trunks have many uses
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in The Smoky Mountain News in March 2002. Some months ago I wrote about…
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Birch stills were more common than moonshine stills
Editor’s note: This was first published in 2003. All this spring, golden birch catkins were dangling throughout the woodlands of…
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Junaluska’s story as told through historians
Editor’s note: This column first appeared in a February 2002 edition of The Smoky Mountain News. Every reader of this column…
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Mountain lion lore
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in a March 2006 edition of The Smoky Mountain News. I frequently hear from people…
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Limestone ‘sink’ is just over the mountain
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in a January 2005 edition of The Smoky Mountain News. “If it form the…
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Galax’s enduring popularity
Galax is an evergreen groundcover found throughout the Blue Ridge. The plant can thrive in various settings, but the ideal…
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Evening gosbeaks to make rare appearance
“Seen for the first time amid the snows of winter and against a background of darkling pines these strange and…
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Honey locust pods are well-protected
Strap-shaped honey locust pods can be up to 2-inches wide and a foot or more in length. Hanging in abundance along…
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Finding the balance between good and evil
The Cherokees believed that they must keep the world in balance, in a state of equilibrium …. that if they…
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Mis-identifying mushrooms is a risky mistake
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in The Smoky Mountain News in September 2004. The cool and humid forests and…
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Cherokee thought buzzards possessed powers
The recent heavy rains here in the Smokies region have been a blessing, especially to those of us who like…
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Turkeys played important role in Cherokee culture
Editor’s note: This George Ellison column first appeared in The Smoky Mountain News in August 2016. The comeback of the…
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Virgin’s bower is a favorite mountain wildflower
It’s late July and before long summer will be slip-sliding toward autumn. The gap between now and then is often overlooked…
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