Raleigh Swamp is the local nickname for this expanse off Raleigh Boulevard. A massive boardwalk with gazebo connects Buckeye Trail with Capital Boulevard. There are almost always blue herons and/or hawks, dozens of various turtle species, the occasional thirsty deer, and the best chance I know to actually see beavers during the day. Raleigh Boulevard has become their permanent no-maintenence dam, but their two houses – one on the west bank near the railroad and one right beside the boardwalk – have been badly exposed by the drought. We will return here often.
Google map of area linked below:
Edna Metz is a wonderful urban amenity tucked into Cameron park just below Cameron Village shopping center. It boasts unusual and large short-leaf pines, my record tulip tree inside the beltline, and a mountain-like atmosphere right after a rain, as the two small creeks climb down rocks before joining and starting down Johnson Street toward Pigeon House Creek downtown. Tiny but complex, its steep hillside is dotted with escaped daffodils in the spring, and the dense tree cover and intertwining creeks make each area seem separate and private.
raleighnaturalist
The Raleigh Naturalist 
