rom the cypress-gum swamps of the Neuse River Low Grounds to the hemlock bluffs along Swift Creek to the rhododendron-covered slopes of Occoneechee Mountain, the Triangle region is home to 33 different types of natural communities. This is the North Carolina Piedmont, part of a rolling plateau that stretches from Maryland to Georgia. To the east lies the coastal plain; to the west lie the mountains. Here in the Piedmont one can find biological remnants from the last Ice Age, geological remnants of ancient seas, and second growth timber that has restored the native hardwood forest to many parts of the region.

Most of the Triangle lies within two river basins, the Cape Fear and the Neuse. The headwaters of the Neuse are located in Orange County, along with the region's highest point, Occoneechee Mountain, 867 feet above sea level. More of a monadnock than a true mountain, Occoneechee Mountain nevertheless contains a number of species that are generally found only in the mountains or further to the north. These include Bradley's spleenwort, wild sasparilla, mountain laurel, and catawba rhododendron, which thrive on the cool, north-facing slopes overlooking the Eno River.

Yet, the air on Occoneechee Mountain is thin compared with that at the region's lowest point in the Neuse River Low Grounds in southern Johnston County,

In addition to their scenic beauty, these places are often an important part of the rural economy and help to teach us about the history of the region.

about 70 feet above sea level. Here, bottomland hardwood forests flank the Neuse River, along with cypress and gum swamps. The Fall Line runs through the county, helping mark the transition from the Piedmont to the Coastal Plain.

Between the Low Grounds and Occoneechee Mountain lies the Triassic Basin. While the Coastal Plain is composed of sediments left by the Atlantic Ocean, the Triassic Basin is made of freshwater deposits washed down from adjacent uplands. As streams flowing from the Carolina Slate Belt to the west cut east down into the Triassic Basin, a number of them have formed steep river slopes with microclimates that support biological relics from the last glacial period, 10,000 years ago. One example of this phenomenon exists along New Hope Creek as it passes through Duke Forest in Orange County. North-facing slopes of other origins provide similar habitat. At the confluence of the Rocky and the Deep Rivers in Chatham County, a rocky promontory supports a rare stand of white pines in the White Pines Nature Preserve. Hemlock trees 400 years old survive along Swift Creek at the Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve in Wake County.

Penny's Bend Nature Preserve in Durham County is another example of how a geological formation can provide the basis for a unique natural community. Here a "diabase sill" of hard igneous rock is responsible both for the distinctive bend in the Eno River and for the "sweeter" basic soil that supports a number of prairie plants usually found in the Midwest, such as wild indigo and purple coneflower.

While most of the Triangle lies in the Piedmont, the southern part of Lee County extends into the North Carolina Sandhills. Here, remnants of the longleaf pine forest survive, along with stands of the water-loving Atlantic White Cedar. Rooted in sand, gravel, and clay washed down from the Piedmont millions of year ago, this ecosystem is regenerated by fire. The open longleaf pine savanna that results is one of the most biologically diverse natural communities in temperate North America, supporting fauna such as red-cockaded woodpeckers, tree frogs, and the oversized fox squirrel.

Natural communities throughout the Triangle have been altered over centuries by human inhabitants, creating a number of distinctive cultural landscapes. These include the old Indian Trading Path, crossroads agricultural communities such as Silk Hope, Cedar Grove, and Shotwell, Civil War battlefields such as the Bentonville Battleground, and old industrial sites now shrouded in forest such as the Endor Iron Furnace and Yates Mill. In addition to their scenic beauty, these places are often an important part of the rural economy and help to teach us about the history of the region.

Green spaces in the Triangle also support a variety of recreational opportunities. These include hiking in Howell Woods, fishing on Jordan Lake, hunting in the Lee County Gamelands, canoeing on the Eno River, mountain biking on trails north of Falls Lake, and whitewater kayaking on the Little River or below Falls Lake Dam, to name a few.