Ruth Ann Grissom

On a preserved tract in Gaston County, one determined man is fighting a long-term war to remove the invasive plant species that choke out native plants and wildlife.

It was time for young barn owl, raised at the Carolina Raptor Center, to be sent into the world. Would she be safe?

I saw it coming. Every time I saw the cable wrapped around that oak, I’d throw up my hands and think, “Too late now!” The oak slowly succumbed to strangulation. Last spring, it didn’t leaf out. Now, poison ivy creeps up the trunk, hiding my shame.

Moving back to Charlotte after 10 years away, I noticed changes in Latta Park. Were my memories idealized? Had it always looked like this? Or had it been neglected in my absence? Commentary.

Moving back to Charlotte after 10 years away, I noticed changes in Latta Park. Were my memories idealized? Had it always looked like this? Or had it been neglected in my absence? Commentary.

On the drab trunk of a single willow oak, one of many lining the street, my eye landed on a large, oblong cluster, golden against the mouse-brown bark.

April – the month that quickens the pulse of birders across the Piedmont. Songbirds also feel the stirring, the restless urge to head north. But there’s a shadow to the joy of spring migration.

I enjoy the serenity of the winter landscape, but as I drove through the Uwharries, my eyes could find no rest. Every Styrofoam cup, plastic bottle and cardboard box marred the quiet beauty.

Two majestic owls from the Artic tundra came south to North Carolina this winter. Only one made it back to the frozen north.  

Finding hidden value – plus inspiration for a well-loved invention – in a couple of plants many of us consider nuisances.