Two galls sit on a dead leaf.

Nature Now! Such Gall!

August 4, 2020

As I was scanning the forest trail to avoid tripping over roots and rocks while walking the dogs, I spotted something that looked like a reddish-pink cotton ball. I quickly snapped a picture of it and noticed that the ball of fluff was attached to an oak sapling. It was late March, and there were… Read More >


Gold Classroom Studio

New Gold Classroom Studio launches with online programs

July 31, 2020

This month, Museum staff from Facilities, Digital Media and Education converted the Gold Classroom on the third floor of the Nature Exploration Center into a virtual learning studio. The classroom got a new coat of paint, a TV studio’s-worth of AV equipment and a lineup of staff and live animals eager to connect with audiences… Read More >


longleaf pine savanna

Nature Now! Grass, Bottlebrush, Candelabra, Pine?

July 28, 2020

Here’s to the land of the longleaf pine, The summer land where the sun doth shine, Where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great, Here’s to “Down Home,” the Old North State. —North Carolina State Toast Longleaf forests once covered up to 60 million acres in the southeastern US, stretching from southern Virginia… Read More >


A lizard in her nest full of eggs.

Nature Now! Yard Lizard Eggcitement

July 23, 2020

I share my yard with as much of our native wildlife as I can! I have several lizard species that call my home in Johnston County, home too! Of course, it was their home originally, and they have adapted to my intrusion. Since moving here in 2004, I have seen lizards routinely around my house… Read More >


A hand holds several baby snakes.

Nature Now! Pine Snake Nests

July 16, 2020

Although the northern pine snake (Pituophis m. melanoleucus) is among our largest and most impressive snakes, comparatively few North Carolinians have ever seen one. State-listed as Threatened, pine snakes occur primarily in our Sandhills region. A small population also occurs in Brunswick and (at least historically) New Hanover counties, and there are a few records… Read More >