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Mistletoe and sycamore ring in winter
Published: 2009-12-23 13:45:00Each season has characteristic features that signal its arrival. Winter is no exception. Two of my winter favorites: mistletoe and sycamore. Coon Cove — the name assigned to our valley on a late 19th century deed — is surrounded on three sides by ste...
Read MoreEarly mapping of the Nantahala
Published: 2009-12-16 12:59:00The economic destiny of a given region is ultimately determined by its geology, flora and climate. That’s certainly been the instance here in the Smokies region, where logging and mining have been supplanted as the major industries by recreation and ec...
Read MoreA skunk by any other name
Published: 2009-12-09 15:13:00Five skunk species are residents in the United States: hooded, hog-nosed, western spotted, eastern spotted, and striped. Only the last two reside in the Smokies region. The striped skunk — which is black with two white stripes running up its back to fo...
Read MoreMemories from ‘up at the barn’
Published: 2009-12-02 14:31:00You’ve noticed how old barns are recognized as special places? When a person says, “I’m going down to the barn,” he or she always emphasizes the “the.” That’s because each barn is a unique entity. They hold special associations. But old bar...
Read MoreRutabagas and history of Hemphill Bald
Published: 2009-11-25 14:36:00Let us consider the relationship between grassy balds, Tom Alexander and the self-proclaimed “Potato and Rutabaga King of Haywood County.” Highland sites at about 5,000 feet of elevation in the Smokies region were often given over to potato farming ...
Read MoreCreeks form character across WNC
Published: 2009-11-18 14:05:00Flowing water is as central to life here in Western North Carolina as the mountains themselves. You can’t have ancient mountains like these without the seeps, springs, branches, creeks and rivers that sculpted them. The word “creek” — a shallow o...
Read MoreSatulah has long been a WNC favorite
Published: 2009-11-11 13:37:00One can still see why flatlanders started pouring into the Cashiers-Highlands region after the Civil War. The scenic ridge, valley and gorge country here remains one of the most interesting areas in Western North Carolina to explore. Some of the most exc...
Read MoreThe grand finale
Published: 2009-11-04 20:00:00We tend to hone in on the showy flowering phase of a plant’s life for observation, identification, and enjoyment. But the greatest pleasure in coming to recognize and appreciate plants occurs when we learn to follow favorite plants from their earliest ...
Read MoreWithstanding winter’s cold
Published: 2009-10-28 20:31:00Editor’s note: George Ellison is on sabbatical this week and will return next week. This is a previously published column. As I write this on Monday morning, we’ve just had our initial hard frost of the year here in Swain County. For the first time i...
Read MoreA great observer of the Smokies
Published: 2009-10-21 19:29:00Arthur Stupka (1905-1999) was the first naturalist in the National Park Service in the eastern United States. That was at Arcadia National Park in Maine, shortly before he became chief naturalist in the newly founded Great Smoky Mountains National Park. ...
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