News from Friends of Lower Haw River State Natural Area
May 2020
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Enjoying Nature Through a Lens
During this time of COVID-19 precautions and the Governor's statewide "stay at home" order, Friends of Lower Haw has suspended holding events. We hope to resume events at a later time, based on the Governor's three phase lifting of restrictions.
As with our March Newsletter #2, April Newsletter #1, and April Newsletter #2 issues, we'd like to share more wonderful photos taken recently in the Lower Haw River State Natural Area that friends have shared with us.
You can also take a virtual tour of the state natural area by watching our 60-second and 5-minute videos produced by Destination by Design featuring spectacular drone photography.
Check out nature photos that inspire and inform with a brief bio about the subject on Instagram @lowerhawfriends and Twitter @LowerHawFriends. Learn interesting facts about what can be found in the Lower Haw River State Natural Area.
View the secret life of wildlife from home through our wildlife cameras placed in different locations throughout the state natural area. Our cameras are revealing amazing photos! Check out all the wildlife camera photo albums on our Facebook page to see what wildlife are up to when we're not around.
Also on our Facebook page are photos from our new pollinator garden at US 15-501 river access! A pollinator garden was created by Boy Scout Ben Pickens with assistance from Friends of Lower Haw board member Ryan Cadwalader. Native wildflower seeds donated by Ernst Seeds Company that were sown by Ben last fall are springing up and attracting all kinds of visitors. See who's visiting the garden in our March and April 2020 Pollinator Garden photo albums!
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Signs of Spring!
Leah Purvis makes frequent visits to the Lower Haw River State Natural Area to take nature photos, which she generously shares with us for use on social media. Check out more of her photos on our Instagram and Twitter sites.
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Pollinator Garden
Below are some of the native plants and visitors to the new pollinator garden near the shade shelter at the US 15-501 river access parking lot. Boy Scout Ben Pickens created the garden as part of this Eagle Scout Service Project, with assistance from Friends of Lower Haw board member Ryan Cadwalader. Ben also installed a Bluebird box, which is occupied, and two bee boxes, which also have occupants. See more photo albums from the pollinator garden on our Facebook page. Upper left photo by Peter Crean who monitors the Bluebird box; upper right, lower left, and lower right photos by Simon Smith.
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The Secret Life of Wildlife
Our wildlife cameras provide a glimpse of wildlife when we're not around. The cameras were funded by a generous donation from Bynum Bridge Fest and are monitored on a monthly basis by volunteers. Photo upper left of Red-shouldered Hawk; photo upper right of Wood Ducks; photo lower left of Opossum; photo lower right of Great Blue Heron.
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Puddling
One of our wildlife cameras captured these Eastern Tiger Swallowtails in flight and puddling. In the lower left side of the photo, a group of them are engaging in a behavior called "puddling", where they sip moisture from wet soil to get nutrients. See photo albums from our wildlife cameras on our Facebook page.
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Follow Us on Instagram and Twitter!
In addition to Facebook, you can follow us on Instagram (@lowerhawfriends) and Twitter (@LowerHawFriends). Check out our photos that inspire and inform!
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Connect with Nature Through iNaturalist!
Post your observations from the Lower Haw River State Natural Area on iNaturalist, a popular nature app for sharing biodiversity observations online. Record your observations, get help identifying plants and animals, and network with a community of scientists and naturalists. Anyone with a smartphone or computer can use iNaturalist to share observations. Check out how to get started here.
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2019 Annual Report Available Online!
Friends of Lower Haw 2019 Annual Report is available online at our website on our Publications page. Read about what we've been doing in 2019! Annual Reports for prior years are also available on our website.
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Watch 60-second Video About the Lower Haw River SNA!
See spectacular scenery in our 60-second video about the Lower Haw River State Natural Area and the Lower Haw Trails Plan. Produced by Destination by Design, it was funded by a grant from Triangle Community Foundations' Support for Places Awareness Program. Want to see more? We also have a 5-minute video with interviews! Watch both videos at www.lowerhaw.org
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We Have a New Logo!
Check out our new logo! Board member Anne Geer created the design, along with donated in-kind Adobe Illustrator assistance from Anne Kachergis of Kachergis Book Design in Pittsboro. A big thank you to both for our new logo!
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