Most of our time in mid-state North Carolina is social (college friends in Raleigh, an aunt and cousins in Wake Forest, another cousin across the state line in southern Virginia), and we wouldn't miss it for the world—it's why we come to NC in the first place. But we did squeeze in a brief outing to Eno River State Park, a sort of scouting trip for a more intensive future visit, which we will no doubt post here.
The Eno River, named for one of the tribes who lived on its banks, is a swift, shallow river characterised by numerous shoals. It is reportedly one of the best places to find Roanoke bass (Ambloplites cavifrons), a fish endemic to North Carolina and southeast Virginia. I had no luck during our brief visit, though I did catch green sunfish from a tiny (probably unnamed) tributary creek. I will return for Roanoke bass.
Development in the area did not, of course, stay small-scale for long. Raleigh is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States, and the entire Research Triangle area has been booming for decades. (One of my local informants claims that the name of the town of Cary originated as an acronym, for Congested Area of Relocated Yankees. Married to one herself, she would know.) And with such growth comes traffic: I observed to Jessa that while I enjoy rally driving, I don't care for Raleigh driving, as it would appear that the local body-shop owners moonlight as traffic engineers. Eno River State Park serves as a buffer and a welcome refuge against the prevailing suburban sprawl, and as habitat for local flora and fauna, some of which Jessica photographed while I was knee-deep in the Eno.
[Green sunfish in situ.]
[Forest understory with ferns.]
[Tadpoles. Species unknown, but small.]
[Ferns.]
[Five-lined skink.]
[Ferns. Jessa does love her ferns.]
[Grey squirrel.]
[American beech.]
[Tail of black racer, signifying... The End.]
No comments:
Post a Comment