Opinion

“Please don’t move my rocks,” says the hellbender

Have you heard of a hellbender? And if not, just what is one? How about the longest salamander…

On the Wild Side - Loti Woods

Spiders: Creepy or eight-legged heroes?

Do spiders give you the creeps? You’re not alone; many folks find them scary, with about 33% of…

On the Wild Side - Loti Woods

Plant it, and they will come

Imagine no baby birds or foxes or bears. It’s pretty simple. Wildlife needs good habitat to survive and…

On the Wild Side - Loti Woods

Skunks: Yellowjacket slayers

Have you ever thought much about skunks? Probably not. They seem forgotten until that dreadful smell hits you.…

On the Wild Side - Loti Woods

What’s living under Dale’s studio?

The leaves next to Dale’s studio are rustling. “Cool, it must be our resident black snake,” I thought…

On the Wild Side - Loti Woods

A box turtle rescue

After a long day of adding some native flowers to our garden, we decided to finish planting the…

On the Wild Side - Loti Woods

Black Bears are smarter than you think

Every time I see a black bear wander through our property, my heart skips a beat, and I’m…

On the Wild Side - Loti Woods

The wondrous birds of North Carolina

One of the joys of living in the foothills is watching our numerous birds. And not just watching…

On the Wild Side - Loti Woods

Bees and their superpowers

Did you know when a honeybee stings you, it usually dies? And that it’s always a female bee…

On the Wild Side - Loti Woods

Cheering for the underdog

Welcome to my inaugural column, where I will focus on “underdogs of nature,” or wildlife that is endangered,…