The Appalachian Naturalist

Panoramic view from Mt. Mitchell

The Appalachian Naturalist
Alex Netherton

Field Biologist

Home
Snakes of NC
Blue Ridge Fishing
Interesting links
How do you pronounce Appalachian?
My Resume'
Forums and mailing lists
Blue Ridge Birding
What is a Natualist?
Dragonflies and kin
Water Turtle List
Blue Ridge Trails
Pond Gardening
What's a Luthier?
Carnivorous Plants of NC
Herp Arts, a site for art about reptiles
My views about hunting

Yes, that is me, standing on a rock beside a Yellow Birch that looks like it is growing right out of the rock. It is in reality rooted in a small soil filled depression, and a series of roots from the tree go out and down across the face of the rock sort of like a bunch of big cables and disappear into the soil at the base of the rock, giving the tree much needed support and the ability to get nutrients and water. Yellow Birch are commonly seen doing this, and I have seen them growing out of a knot hole in another tree, with roots leading to the ground. This one can be found on the trail around Price Lake, south of Boone on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Dedicated in loving memory to Piglet the Black Pug

February 26, 2001 - June 13, 2006

Mommy's Baby, Daddy's Little Boy

"May you find trails that take you through long grass that tickles your tummy,

and along clear streams, where you can wet your feet."

We Love you and miss you, little boy.

We will meet you at the Bridge, we promise.

The Southern Appalachians are a place of mystery and awesome beauty. They are a place that has a long history that spans far more than the history of the United States. Amongst the oldest mountain ranges on Earth, they can at times seem incredibly young. There is magic here that can be seen by the least sensetive amongst us, and, I feel that this magic can heal.
These mountains are less than a day's drive from half of the United States, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is among the most visited of all National Parks.

In these mountains you can travel from a forest like any Southeastern Oak-Hickory forest, pass through Northern Hardwood forests, and into a Canadian Spruce-Fir forest at the tops of the mountains. These changes are only a part of the magic. There is so much more.

I am available most weekends for trips. If you are interested, please write to me at rednetherton at charter dot net. Please sign my Guestbook. I check it occasionally: If you are looking for information, best write to me at the above address.

Sign My Guestbook View My Guestbook