Category: Nature

Excerpt: Crabgrass Crucible, by Christopher C. Sellers

In the United States, even from Bunner’s time, what nourished the nature love of the more and less scientifically qualified alike was a shared suburban experience. It was one not so much of home buying as home owning. Nor was it reducible to suburban dwellers’ relationship with “the land,” however fraught. What finally secured the breadth of environmentalism’s appeal was how nature love itself had become ever more suffused with anxieties about human health. Continue Reading Excerpt: Crabgrass Crucible, by Christopher C. Sellers

Robert Lippson: Wading in the shallows and loving it!

The shallows are a hub of biological activity. This is where many species of fishes spawn and where small fish seek haven from larger ones looking for lunch. Plants also grow in the shallows, and where there are plants there will be snails and small harmless insect-like crustaceans such as isopods and amphipods and shrimp and occasionally everyone’s favorite—a seahorse—and their close relatives, pipefishes, clinging, crawling, and slithering over the stems and blades of the vegetation. Continue Reading Robert Lippson: Wading in the shallows and loving it!

Jay Barnes: Before & After Hurricane Irene

September 1, 2011 As I write this, electric power is just now returning in the last remaining North Carolina neighborhoods darkened by Hurricane Irene’s pole-cracking winds last weekend. Chainsaws are still buzzing, landfills are just beginning to be overrun with truckloads of debris, and people flooded out of their homes are returning, exhausted from the ordeal. Hatteras Island, isolated by… Continue Reading Jay Barnes: Before & After Hurricane Irene

Interview: Stanley R. Riggs on the Importance of Protecting North Carolina’s Coast

Stanley Riggs, co-author of The Battle for North Carolina’s Coast, answers questions about protecting NC’s changing coastline–as well as its coastal economy. Continue Reading Interview: Stanley R. Riggs on the Importance of Protecting North Carolina’s Coast

National Wildflower Week concludes–with pretty pictures!

Well, it’s the last day of our celebration of National Wildflower Week.  We’ve given you a lot to read about so far, so now that it’s Friday, let’s look at some pictures of flowers!  These beautiful images come from another backlist favorite, Wild Flowers of North Carolina, by WIlliam S. Justice, photographer and botanist, C. Ritchie Bell, botanist and founder… Continue Reading National Wildflower Week concludes–with pretty pictures!

National Wildflower Week Day 2: Off to the Sandhills Region with Bruce A. Sorrie

Continuing our celebration of National Wildflower Week: check out Bruce Sorrie’s new Field Guide to Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region. Continue Reading National Wildflower Week Day 2: Off to the Sandhills Region with Bruce A. Sorrie

Introducing Southern Gateways Guides from UNC Press

This spring, UNC Press published 4 books for the inaugural season of Southern Gateways Guides, our newest series. Southern Gateways Guides offer a fresh, comprehensive, and always reliable approach to the South. From outdoor and nature guides, to beautifully illustrated references on flora and fauna, and travel guides to exciting destinations, these insightful books have something for every reader who wants to… Continue Reading Introducing Southern Gateways Guides from UNC Press

The AMAZING Backpacking North Carolina Challenge with Joe Miller

Do you like hiking? Do you like contests? Do you like contests where you’ll receive cool prizes just for hiking? Cool prizes like the North Carolina Birding Trail 3-Volume Set? Orrrr a MSR PocketRocket Stove? Or how about a Therm-a-Rest Trail Scout Self Infalting Sleeping Pad? Yeah, we do, too! That’s why we are extremely pleased to announce that Joe Miller, author of Backpacking North Carolina: The… Continue Reading The AMAZING Backpacking North Carolina Challenge with Joe Miller

Jump into Spring! Some great events coming up

If you’re in the Triangle over the next week, we’ve got so many great events lined up we can keep your dance card full! Book talk & Nature Walk with David Blevins and Michael P. Schafale Wild North Carolina: Discovering the Wonders of Our State’s Natural Communities Sunday, April 3, 2011 3:00 PM North Carolina Botanical Garden Chapel Hill, NC… Continue Reading Jump into Spring! Some great events coming up

Celebrating B.W. Wells

Today we remember the late B. W. Wells, plant ecologist, conservationist, and author of The Natural Gardens of North Carolina. On March 26th, Rock Cliff Farm, Wells’s place of retirement, is celebrating B.W. Wells Heritage Day, with tours, activities, giveaways, and exhibits that recall the life and work of this pioneering ecologist.  His work lives on through this event and… Continue Reading Celebrating B.W. Wells

EPIC SALE TIME!!

It’s EPIC SALE TIME! Over 700 UNC Press books are on sale! Read more about the huge deals here. Continue Reading EPIC SALE TIME!!

Interview: Joe Miller talks backpacking in North Carolina

Joe Miller, author of Backpacking North Carolina: The Definitive Guide to 43 Can’t-Miss Trips from Mountains to Sea, shares his wisdom about the many diverse hiking opportunities the great state of North Carolina has to offer. Visit his blog at getgoingnc.com or follow him on Twitter @JoeAGoGo to learn more about his experiences with the great outdoors. Spring is around… Continue Reading Interview: Joe Miller talks backpacking in North Carolina

Interview: Simpson & Taylor on Carolina’s Coasts

We recently spoke to Bland Simpson and Scott Taylor about capturing the essence and spirit of a large, rich place in photographs and words in the book they co-authored, The Coasts of Carolina: Seaside to Sound Country. For a limited time, their book, among many other great gift books, is available with a 20% discount through the UNC Press Holiday… Continue Reading Interview: Simpson & Taylor on Carolina’s Coasts

Take a peek at Spring 2011

I know, I know, in my last post I was praising the transition into autumn, so why the rush to spring all of a sudden? Ellen, why so fickle? you must be thinking. Well, our spring 2011 catalogs have arrived, that’s why. You don’t have to open it if you’re not ready. I understand. One season at a time. That’s… Continue Reading Take a peek at Spring 2011

Interview: Jennifer Frick-Ruppert on Appalachian ecology

There are about 35 million acres of beautiful mountains that extend from northern Virginia down to north Georgia. They’ve been going through a glorious transformation of color over the last few weeks. If you’ve never visited the Appalachians in fall, you’re missing out on a breathtaking treat from nature. In Mountain Nature: A Seasonal Natural History of the Southern Appalachians,… Continue Reading Interview: Jennifer Frick-Ruppert on Appalachian ecology

Southern Gateways: The best in southern reading from UNC Press

One of the strengths of UNC Press is our commitment to publishing first-rate books about the region in which we live. From college hoops to environmental history, from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement, from the coast to the hills, our books about the South educate and entertain readers within the region and beyond. We’ve recently updated our… Continue Reading Southern Gateways: The best in southern reading from UNC Press