Nancy Cook exhibit displayed at the N.C. Botanical Garden

Art and public gardens go together. People enjoy viewing art inspired by the endless forms and colors of nature, and so to use public gardens as venues for the display of art comes naturally.
The North Carolina Botanical Garden DeBerry Gallery for Botanical Art and Illustration currently houses an outstanding textile art exhibit, Seed Play, by Nancy G. Cook through Feb. 27.
Nancy Cook, internationally exhibited artist from Charlotte, creates realistic images of natural objects in a highly exaggerated scale with textiles, ink and thread. Seed Play—a series exploring the architecture of seeds in a whole-cloth quilt format—focuses on tree and shrub seeds and fruits as metaphors for life's riches. Working directly from collected specimens, Cook's designs are based on research and detailed sketches.
The North Carolina Botanical Garden is located off of the US 15-501/NC 54 bypass (Fordham Blvd.) in Chapel Hill. For more information, call (919) 962-0522 or visit the website.

Learn about Charles Darwin and his legacy at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

Why do oystercatchers have long, sharp bills? Why are chili peppers spicy? Why do servals (a kind of African wild cat) have such long legs? Come explore the answers to these questions and more at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences on Darwin Day, Saturday, Feb. 11. The free event runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will span the first three floors of the museum as well as outside in the Bicentennial Plaza. Visitors will learn more about Charles Darwin and his research as well as the legacy that he has left behind.
On the plaza, staff from the Conservators’ Center of Mebane will show off a serval and discuss the advantages that the cat has gained through evolutionary adaptations. Inside the museum, on the first through third floors, museum and visiting educators will be available to explain more about Darwinism, natural selection and research that has stemmed from Darwin’s original theories.
At 11:30 a.m. in the auditorium on the first floor, don’t miss keynote speaker Dr. Roland Kays, the museum’s new biodiversity and earth observation research lab director, at the new Nature Research Center and Chef Josh DeCarolis, from Jujube in Chapel Hill, in their combination lecture and cooking demo. Kays will discuss the evolution of chili peppers while DeCarolis demonstrates cooking methods incorporating those chilies. There will be samples provided for visitors to taste.
Windows on the World on the third floor will host two more speakers. At 2 p.m., Dr. William Kimler will discuss the “Discovery of Evolution.” At 3:30 p.m., Ted Simons will present “Adapting to Dynamic Environments: American Oystercatchers on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.”
There will also be several fun activities for kids, including arts and crafts, button making and interactive exhibits about Darwin. For more information about Darwin Day, contact Bonnie Eamick at (919) 733-7450, ext. 554, or by email at bonnie.eamick@ncdenr.gov.

Trail improvements planned at Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area

Construction to improve the Summit Trail at Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area in Durham County will begin Monday, Feb. 6, according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation.
The trail and all park facilities will remain open during the construction period and available to the public, but vehicles and construction equipment may be traveling on parts of the 0.6-mile trail in backcountry areas of the park. Other trails in the state natural area will be unaffected. The project is expected to be completed in approximately two weeks.
For further information on the project, contact officials at Eno River State Park at (919) 383-1686.

Dan River Basin Association to hike at Fairy Stone State Park

The Dan River Basin Association will continue its 10th year celebration with a Feb. 4 hike on trails in Virginia's Fairy Stone State Park. Participants will meet at 10 a.m. at the Stuart's Knob Trailhead on Union Bridge Road (Virginia State Route 623) on the north side of Fairy Stone Lake (GPS 36.798504,-80.116784).
The 2-mile hike will begin with the Iron Mine Trail, which winds along high and steep ridges through areas of rhododendron and stands of beech, pine, hickory, poplar, maple and sycamore trees. The trail's namesake feature is the mouth of an old iron mine, its dark opening covered by a barred grate. Remnants of iron ore may be visible alongside the trail.
The path will then connect to the Upper and Lower Stuart's Knob loops. After a few climbs and declines and a fine vista of a portion of Fairy Stone Lake, hikers will return to the parking area.
The park's brochure rates the hike as strenuous, but Trip Coordinator Lucas Conkle, chair of DRBA's Outings Task Force, considers the trails moderate. Switchbacks make it easier to climb the slopes, and Conkle plans to set a gentle pace to allow participants to enjoy the forest, the historic sites and the views.
"The Stuart Knob Trail system has a nice mix of views and history," Conkle says. "It is sure to become one of your favorite hikes if you go on the trip."
Fairy Stone State Park, founded in 1936 as the largest of Virginia's first six state parks, is named for the cross-shaped staurolite, a rare mineral found in the region. Legend says this area was once home to fairies and other woodland creatures. Word of Jesus' crucifixion so saddened these fairies that they wept tears, which crystallized staurolite (silica, iron and aluminum) in the form of Maltese, Roman and St. Andrews crosses.
At the conclusion of the hike, participants will eat their picnic lunches near the shore of the 168-acre Fairy Stone Lake. The waters of the Smith River, delayed by the dam that forms the lake, eventually slip over the Fairy Stone spillway into Philpott Lake.
The 4,537-acre state park, still one of Virginia's largest, offers a total of 14 miles on several hiking trails. Conkle recommends that anyone who wants to hike after lunch consider taking the 1.5-mile Whiskey Run Trail around the base of Stuart's Knob on their own.
Participants are asked to bring lunch, water and a hiking stick; wear comfortable shoes or hiking boots; dress in layers of water-shedding artificial fabric or wool; and be prepared for rain or wind. All participants will be asked to sign a waiver form.
Outings and meetings of the Dan River Basin Association are open to the public without charge.
For more information, contact Trip Coordinator Lucas Conkle at conklel@alumni.greensboro.edu.
For membership information, visit www.danriver.org.