The birds are back and the flowers are blooming. Now about that pesky NC pollen ...
Tuesday is the start of spring, and I’m feeling it.
You’re probably reading this column on your phone or the newsobserver.com app in a quiet place near the large ceramic pots. It’s the best place to avoid getting trampled in the Lowe’s garden section on weekends.
North Carolina’s State Farmers Market, outdoor nurseries and the Sarah P. Duke Gardens (my favorite) should be packed because trees are budding — and the ACC Tournament championship and NCAA tourney selection shows happen well after most of us have debated when to plant marigolds for the spring.
So, let’s get you ready for the season that makes North Carolina pretty.
Good news: The hummingbirds are coming
This is the weekend routine at our household.
My wife looks out the large, sun-loving windows leading to our back patio.
“LOOK! LOOK! Look at that beautiful (INSERT COLOR HERE) bird on the feeder!!!” she says with all those exclamation points.
Minutes later, I look up, sigh deeply, arise slowly from the sofa and step toward the windows.
“NO! NO! You scared the birds!”
And … repeat the dialogue, repeat the scene.
We’re fortunate that birds on the spring migratory path treat our backyard like a Sheetz or Wawa. It probably doesn’t hurt that we spend more on birdseed than most families do on sending their kids to a Triangle university.
Apparently, my wife isn’t alone in bird-watching zeal.
The News & Observer’s Kimberly Cautadella Tutuska’s story on the seasonal return of the Ruby-throated hummingbird to the state has caught your attention. Kimberly’s story is packed with insights from hummingbird experts, including what color feeder to buy.
We also recommend reading “A Wing and a Prayer: The Race to Save Our Vanishing Birds,” written by Raleigh’s own Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal, both former editors at The N&O.
Martha Quillin’s report last year on the Gyllenhaals’ deeply researched book will send you to a large nest — yes, I went there — of N&O stories on the Triangle’s deep affection for birds.
Bad news: The pollening has arrived, too
My head hurts just writing about our pollen reporting. But the warmer weather means it’s time for itchy eyes and sniffling noses.
The brilliant Brooke Cain has edited a compilation of N&O reporting on pollen that provides cogent information. (You may notice that the summations were aided by an artificial intelligence tool, but note the reference to one brilliant Brooke, who edited the final version for N&O subscribers.)
I learned a lot from the story. How Raleigh ranks in the top 20 among pollen-infested cities. And this passage caught my attention: While pollen from pine trees is not usually an allergen, it is the most visible and abundant, causing a yellow and green haze that leaves many residents feeling miserable. With oaks just starting to release their pollen, and other trees and grasses to follow, it seems total pollen avoidance is next to impossible.
So, there.
We can’t avoid pollen.
But at least the birds are back in town.
A —30— for Chuck
Photojournalist Chuck Liddy retired in 2019 after 26 years of chronicling the Triangle and North Carolina. He died March 10, but his impact continues to resonate among The N&O family and this state.
The N&O’s Martha Quillin and Visuals Editor Scott Sharpe captured his persona in a story titled “Longtime N&O photographer Chuck Liddy was as unforgettable as the images he made.” Martha summed up Chuck this way: The way Liddy saw the world — mostly through the lens of a camera — every story also was his: his to shoot, to tell, to throw at readers in a way that punched them in the sternum. Hard.
The privilege of being editor of The News & Observer is about serving our readers, our community and our journalists
I never worked with Chuck. But I’m honored to know him through his work, his friends and his legacy.
Bill Church is executive editor of The News & Observer.
