One of the baskets that you will find in our exhibit on Outer Banks natives is this exquisite eel basket. Eel was a staple food for tribes along waterways and these baskets, usually made from willow bark, were the most effective way at catching these slippery creatures. At first glance, […]
Yearly Archives: 2026
16 posts
We are so excited to welcome long-time volunteers Thunder & E Nah Dah of the Eastern Band Cherokee to share with all of you! In just a week, come and learn about the significance of the drum and dancing in native cultures. Have you wondered why all the Powwow’s have […]
It’s National Pollinator Week and we’re all about encouraging our native pollinator friends! Our support of our native pollinators didn’t start with the project we mentioned in our previous update on National Public Garden Week. It started with planting Green-headed Cone Flower (Rudbeckia laciniata) in the tiny garden next to […]
This post is the second in a special series by Backyard Butterflies co-founder and Executive Director, Lior S. Carlson. Here on the Outer Banks, where the ocean is never far — let us allure you, like a siren’s song, to come and experience something genuinely strange and beautiful in its […]
An obsessive’s guide to the creatures of darkness, transformation, and astonishing beauty I Love Moths Hello, my name is Lior S. Carlson, and I love MOTHS. Like, genuinely, enthusiastically, stay-up-until-2AM-staring-at-a-sheet-in-the-woods love moths. Over the next 14 days or so, I’ll be guest blogging all about MOTHS in anticipation and countdown […]
Today, June 3rd, is National Insect Repellant Awareness Day! Though the discussion is usually for visitors to our sunny island in summer circles around sunscreen, insect repellant is equally important! Living in the United States, we often have a skewed view of the significance on the impact of illness transmitted […]
May 11th is National Day of the Bead, so let’s talk about the most infamous bead from the East Coast, Wampum! What was it? The word “Wampum” actually comes from the Nanhigganeuck (Narragansett) word wampumeag and literally means ‘white shell beads’. Though often thought to be the name of the […]
It’s National Public Gardens Week and we’re all about growing native species! You may recall that last year, we partnered with Backyard Butterflies and Wooden Sea Tree Care to put in a pollinator garden. Backyard Butterflies donated 150 native plants and Wooden Sea Tree Care donated mulch. We put in […]
It’s National Wildflower Week and we’re all about growing native species! As you may know, we’ve got a lovely Nature Trail and have started a pollinator garden project along the front of the building. Wildflowers are an easy way to add color and attract some really interesting wildlife to your […]
Earth Day at the RWS Community Building was an incredible experience with lots of really fun interactions with friendly people. As always, the kids were the best as they were excited to learn and full of questions. Visitors got to try on glasses that let them see like a spider, […]
Will you be here on the island May 6th? Then you definitely want to check out our special guest Gray Michael Parsons to hear him speak on the frequently overlooked Chief Wingina. Who Was Chief Wingina? Where did he live? Why is he important? Why don’t we hear about him […]
Today is the Universal Day of Culture, and a perfect day to discuss a part of culture that we often hear discussed amongst visitors. One of the items in the museum is a fan that has been labeled a Peyote Drop Fan. In western culture, psychoactive plants are often abused […]