Exploring Chapel Hill, NC

In need of a vacation I decided to travel to a different state and explore one if its small towns.  I ended up going to Chapel Hill, NC which started in partner with the University of Northern Carolina at Chapel Hill.  I spent most of my first day walking around the college campus.  What I like most about the campus is there is a lot of green space.  Unlike the city where almost everywhere you look is concrete, this campus had lots of lawn space and patches of forest among the buildings. 

Can you see all 7 squirrels? Some you can only see their tail.

I came across some interesting finds as I walked and took some pictures.  This first one on the right is one of my favorites.  If you look carefully enough you will see 7 gray squirrels. They blend in well with the patchy green lawn. This blending in with the surroundings is called camouflage.  I didn't notice them at first as I was walking I heard some chewing sounds and when I looked carefully saw all these squirrels munching on acorns.  So I took a picture of the whole bunch and then of the two squirrels nearest to me.  They didn't seem to mind that I was there, but I did keep my distance so I wouldn't disturb their meal.

Dinner time for squirrels.

I also came across some interesting plants along my walk.  Not sure what half of them are but they rather colorful considering it was end of December.   While North Carolina has a warmer climate than where I live now, but not by much.  I still enjoyed looking at the different plant-life and looking for critters that were still out and about. Below are the various plants I saw as I wondered about Chapel Hill.

Now that it is winter time there were lots of bushes with berries on them.  These bright colored berries are to attract birds who eat them.  The pit or seed of the berry dispersed by the birds.   

I guess the birds aren't the only ones who find them to be attractive, because I took many pictures of berries on my walk, not just red but also blue colored ones.  They reminded me of grapes because they are in large bunches but the leaves are not the right shape for grape leaves.  I was not about to taste a unknown berry since you never know if it is poisonous or not, so I saved them for the birds and other animals to enjoy.

Hikes like this one are great to do as a fun exploration around town, but if you want to have a goal or ideas of ways to make the walk more interactive check out the Exploration page.  I made this into a Photo Safari for me.  The Rainbow Hunt is great activity for autumn.  Now that it is winter maybe you can do some tracking in the snow and be an Animal Track Detective.

Next time you travel see if there are some nature spots to explore.  Bundle up and Meet Me Outdoors.