Land & Conservation

Fact-checking an old Southern saying

With noses trained to find species by scent, these dogs work alongside scientists to help protect rare plants and animals

An Alabama odyssey helps fill in the blank spaces

Ducks Unlimited and World Whiskey Society collaborate on a pair of bottles for waterfowl lovers

Rare, secretive, or just plain beautiful, these species are a treat to behold

Fifty years after receiving a handmade wingbone call, an outdoorsman remembers the legendary biologist Wayne Bailey, who gave voice to eastern wild turkeys

These two nightjars—mainstays of the Southern soundscape—are easily confused

The mounds may look insignificant, but they’re the craftsmanship of local crustaceans called lawn lobsters

Don’t be intimidated by tales of finicky seeds in the fridge. Here’s everything Southerners need to know to get milkweed in the ground and support the monarch migration.

This volcanic depression in the middle of nowhere is the only place in the world you can find—and keep—the precious gemstone

“Countries have so much divisiveness. Our Earth is the common denominator, and we keep missing the point that we’re all tied together.”

The future of conservation in the South just got a little bit brighter—and not just for salamanders

Once, the red wolf roamed every Southern state. Today, only seventeen remain in the wild on a swampy peninsula in Eastern North Carolina, a number on the rise thanks to the passionate team of biologists determined to help them thrive once more

Journey through the seasons in coastal South Carolina via a sleeping green anole, bunches of yellow jessamine, and wading roseate spoonbills

One is rainbow-colored, one looks just like a worm, one is a miniature rattlesnake—all are part of our region’s wild tapestry of life

Keys to turning storm damage into an opportunity for the bird population

A century ago, the species almost went extinct. Today, their numbers are edging upwards, but the fight for their survival is far from over.

On the Forgotten Coast of Florida, an oyster-growing couple is raising the bar on aquaculture technology

And the best time to see them (hint: it’s now)

Paula Whyman dreamed of restoring a plot of land in the Blue Ridge Mountains—and found fertile ground for a memoir