Shawn Banks, County Extension Director & Horticulture Agent, is back on the trail! This time he revisits the Theodore Roosevelt Nature Trail located on the grounds of the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. See all the flora and fauna changes and a lot more color since his last walk on the trail in the spring.

Native plants and points of interest that you’ll see on the trail:

Elephant's Foot or Devil's Grandmother Elephantopus tomentosus

Devil's Walking Stick or Angelica Tree Aralia spinosa

Golden Silk Spider Trichonephila clavipes

Lichens A symbiotic partnership between a fungus and an alga living on another surface for support.

American HollyIlex opaca

Powdery Pine Needle AphidEulachnus aphid

Florida sedgeCarex floridana

Atlantic Pigeonwings or Butterfly PeaClitoria mariana

Saltmarsh Morning GloryIpomoea sagittata

Marsh ElderIva frutescens

On the way back I saw this snake. I'm not sure if this is a black rat snake or if it is a black racer, but it was interesting to watch.

https://herpsofnc.org/

Walk other local trails with Shawn and see native plants in different seasons.