Elementary and middle schoolers at the Wake Forest Boys & Girls Club recently completed their second pollinator and wildlife garden at the Club’s campus on Wingate Street. Stretching along the Club entrance, this garden will be a new “welcome mat” for the many Wake Forest residents who visit the Club daily. “We made our first garden last spring,” said one 6th grade member, “and learned about different native plants and why they’re important for butterflies and birds and other animals.”  “The best idea,” added a 5th grader, “is to mix plants that butterflies like with plants that th ..read more

‘’Is this damsel fly or a dragonfly larva?’’  ‘’Oh look–I’ve got a tadpole!’’  ‘’How do I focus the microscope?’’ Questions and exclamations echoed along the Falls Lake shoreline as members of the Wake Forest Boys & Girls Club collected and studied macro- and micro-invertebrates from the lake’s waters. The outing was part of the Club’s Ultimate Journey program–an environmental education curriculum designed for 4th to 7th graders. Throughout the summer months, I had the pleasure of leading Club members through a series of outdoors adventures. With support from the North Carolina ..read more

Early summer is especially beautiful here in Wake Forest, as our streets and parks come alive with vibrant greenery and colorful blooms. And the hottest trend in green space design–gardening for pollinators and other wildlife–is very much on display. From our parks to front yards to historic sites, there’s a visible shift away from cultivated hybrids that look pretty (but don’t do much else) to plants that are both beautiful and help nourish butterflies, native bees, songbirds, and other species.  Maybe you’ve admired these gardens and would like to start one yourself, but don’t kno ..read more

You might not expect to see butterflies, hummingbirds, swimming turtles and nesting bluebirds at a busy commercial property. But at one expanding shopping area here in Wake Forest that’s exactly what you’ll find.  The Pollinator Project at 1021 Forestville Road is a joint effort between property owner Optimal Equity Group LLC and the Neuse River Hawks (NRH), a local chapter of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation (NCWF). “Neuse River Hawks have been designing and creating pollinator gardens in local public parks for several years now,” said NRH member and project co-manager Laura Robi ..read more

Two years ago, when the COVID-19 pandemic was just kicking off, I started a small pollinator garden and wrote about it on this site. Little did I know I was launching what would become a nearly obsessive hobby–one that came with a whole new set of community and social connections. Last year I added to the garden, took out some non-native plants, and wrote a bit more about what I learned. I’ve been surprised at the impact a few small changes in my yard can make. Birds and butterflies I’ve never seen before like to hang out and even have their babies here. Last summer, our neighborhood revampe ..read more

Migratory waterfowl are on the wing again, flying away from North Carolina’s coastal marshes to their breeding and nesting habitats further north. How many of them will make it? Migratory birds love the North Carolina coast. They come in their tens of thousands to winter in our wetlands, especially in the National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) of the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula. In an article last month, we talked about how critical NWRs are for migratory waterfowl. Without these safe oases, many species would be struggling for survival. But there’s another key component to protecting feathered w ..read more

Thousands of migratory birds “vacation” in our coastal wetlands. But how are we coping with threats to this critical ecosystem? Just a few hours east of the Triangle, nature offers up one of her most amazing sights: thousands of migratory birds converging on the Carolina shores for winter. I’m at Lake Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge on a clear, cold morning, and the waters before me are busy with an incredible array of ducks, swans, and geese.  Paddling among the marsh grass, I spy what I’ve especially come out here to see: Tundra Swans. Each year, huge flocks of these beauties ..read more

Solar energy has expanded rapidly across North Carolina, but less than one percent of our homes have rooftop systems. With prices tumbling, what’s holding back faster expansion? How Did Solar Get So Cheap? The past decade has seen incredible growth in solar-generated electricity in North Carolina and throughout the US. The big drivers, of course, have been concerns about the climate crisis and energy independence. These concerns fueled early government and private sector research that led to solar technology advances, which led to expanded use, which led to more technology advances. (This ..read more

The Piedmont is home to many native plant species that can beautify your space and also feed a host of beneficial wild things, from butterflies to chickadees to toads. In celebration of Pollinator Week, I’m revisiting the pollinator project I started last spring, reviewing “lessons learned,” and adding some steps you can take–right now–to help these critical species. Like many of us, spring of 2020 found me riding out the COVID-19 pandemic at home. In keeping with the rest of the country (apparently), I tackled a few home and garden projects. My favorite, hands down, is the native pollinat ..read more

States and many private corporations are climate action leaders in the US. How can the Biden administration build on this success to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in half by 2030? In Part 1 of this series, we looked at federal legislative and regulatory strategies for reducing emissions. Here, we drill down to the state and local government level, consider international collaboration, review corporate gains and goals, and look at how important it will be for the President to keep citizens engaged and active. We’re picking up with strategy number seven . . . Strategy 7: Build on State ..read more