Did you love butterflies? Would you like to learn more about Monarchs, their migration, and their role in the ecosystem?
Presentation info: Welcome to the Monarch Butterfly Science Presentation! Our hope is to provide you with a basic understanding of Monarch butterfly ecology and biology. We are proud to be able...
It’s fall again in Western North Carolina, and as the leaves begin to change and the nights grow cool, you may hear the honking of migrating geese in the sky above. But here at the Nature Center, we’re turning our attention to a much smaller winged migratory creature. Here are a few clues to help you guess which animal’s journey we’ve got our minds set on:
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"Teaching children about the natural world should be seen as one of the most important events in their lives."
- Thomas Berry
The Friends of the WNC Nature Center is proud to announce the opening of the Young...
I mean, besides ice cream. How about a nice peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Or spaghetti and meatballs? Apples?
What about crickets, snails, and the occasional toad?
OK, maybe not your ideal dinner, but to the Eastern Screech Owl, that’s fine gourmet dining! This little predatory bird really loves to dig into insects, small mammals, and even small birds, among other...
If you’ve ever hiked the Trillium Trail here at the WNC Nature Center, you probably found it to be a pleasant hike full of bends and curves through the forest. An endearing aspect of the trail is that, though it is only 2/3 of a mile long, it feels as if you have wound deep into the forest because you cannot see very far ahead of you. Each turn affords a new look – the new...
When a cougar pounces, it uses its powerful hindquarters and long tail to bound up to the length of a school bus. White-tailed deer are capable of leaping five and six foot fences from a virtual stand still. Frog skeletons and muscles have been specially designed to make them the best jumpers of all vertebrates.
Sometimes it seems our days and weeks and months move in the same manner. I...
On November 13, the Friends of the WNC Nature Center hosted Wild Visions, an event to present the 2020 Vision to a wonderful group of community supporters of the Center. The 2020 Vision is the site plan for the future of the WNC Nature Center, and encompasses an exciting series of stages. Each phase of construction will increase the educational opportunities of the...
It might be one of the most feared visages in the wilds of Western North Carolina; not the tan muzzle on the black face of a bear, or the grizzled face and yellow eyes of the wolf, or even the cool, unblinking gaze of a rattlesnake. The face no one wants to meet unexpected is the glittering black eyes and white striped face of the skunk!
The skunk (also called a polecat) isn...
It's a chilly autumn night. The stars are bright through the trees, and a heavy harvest moon hangs in the sky. The only sounds are the furtive noises of night in the forest - the snaps of twigs, the creak of tree frogs, the rustle of leaves. Then, from somewhere far away - or perhaps very close, it's difficult to tell - comes one long, lonely howl.
There's not much spookier...
Holy Grand Openings, Batman! This Saturday, April 30th the WNC Nature Center is celebrating the official opening of their new cougar exhibit! That morning visitors will have their first look at the twin cougar cubs that have made the WNC Nature Center their new home.
And what a first look it will be! The event will be kicked off at 10 a.m. by an apropos appearance of...