Crowders Mountain State Park (Kings Mountain, NC)

The forest floor was littered with fallen leaves; some were big and brown like the finely-lobed leaves of chestnut oaks, others were bright red like the cheery leaves of red maples. We hiked up and up, past car-sized boulders encrusted with bright green lichens. Soon, the forest was only densely populated with trees, the Virginia pines became short and scraggly, the chestnut oaks were half their normal size. Finally, a view of the Piedmont in all its autumn splendor greeted us. The shadows of Charlotte teased the edge of the horizon. Other mountains, King's and Spencer's, welcomed us stoically. We had arrived at the summit Crowders Mountain.

Hiking to the Summit of Crowders Mountain (Photo by N. Cagle; 21 Nov 2010)

View from the Summit of Crowders Mountain (Photo by N. Cagle; 21 Nov 2010)

Near the North Carolina-South Carolina border in Gaston County, Crowders Mountain State Park preserves two stunning examples of Piedmont monadnocks: Crowders Mountain (elevation 1,625 feet) and The Pinnacle (1,705 feet). At one time these peaks, which stand 800 feet above the surrounding Piedmont plateau, demarcated the boundary between the hunting lands of the Catawba and Cherokee. Today, they stand as the main attraction of a State Park established by the efforts of the Gaston County Conservation Society, eager to protect the mineral-rich peaks from strip mining, in 1973.

Roughly 450 million years ago two supercontinents collided, Laurentia (now North America) and a broken off piece of Gondwana (an amalgamation of parts of Africa and South America). The intense heat and pressure resulting from the collision transformed the African silica and aluminum into the distinctive metamorphic rocks that define Crowders Mountain today. Over time, the surrounding areas of softer mica-rich schist rock eroded, leaving the pronounced kyanite-quartzite peaks. Kyanite, an elongated blue-gray crystal given the descriptive moniker “blue daggers” by miners, infuses the rough quartzite rocks of the monadnock. This tough mineral was mined from nearby mountains in South Carolina for use in ceramics and electronics.

Kyanite crystals at Crowders Mountain (Photo by N. Cagle; 21 Nov 2010)

The unusual geologic history of Crowders Mountain translates into unusual ecology. In 1901, botanist and taxonomist John K. Small (1869 – 1938) recorded stunted trees at the summit, including three to six foot tall chestnuts (Castanea dentata) laden with fruit (only a few examples of which remain today), Virginia pines (Pinus virginiana) and persimmon (Diospyros virginiana). Small noted that other plants appeared in their normal form, such as Catawba rhododendron (Rhododendron catawbiense) with its big, round purple blooms and dangleberry (Gaylussacia frondosa) a blue berry bearing shrub with green leaves dotted with tiny golden resin glands on the underside. The dwarfed trees provide cover for Fowler’s toads, slimy salamanders and a number of snake species, including scarlet kingsnakes, ringnecked snakes and copperheads, while the rocky outcrops house roosting black and turkey vultures.

References:
NC Division of Parks and Recreation. “Crowder’s Mountain State Park - History” http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/crmo/history.php

Stewart, K. G. and Roberson, M. 2007. Exploring the Geology of the Carolinas. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press.

Small, J. K. 1901. The Summit Flora of King’s Mountain and Crowder’s Mountain, North Carolina. Torreya 1: 7-8.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS: November in the Piedmont

Birds.− By November, the fall migration has usually ended. The wood thrushes have disappeared, replaced by the melodic hermit thrush until springtime. November also marks the return of juncos and a number of sparrows, including tree, fox, white-throated and white-crowned sparrows. You can also expect to see more duck species, especially common goldeneyes and hooded mergansers. If you are very lucky, you might catch a glimpse of short-eared or northern saw-whet owls, which are sometimes spied in the Triangle during the winter months.

Woodpeckers make their home in the Piedmont year-round, with one exception, the yellow-bellied sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius). These active birds can be recognized by their black and white back and wings, red forehead and yellow breast; males also have a red throat. Found throughout the eastern United States, this woodpecker in well-known for drilling a series of small wells in trees, from which it laps up sap and feeds on the cambium of the tree. These wells also attract insects and are used by other birds species.

Butterflies.− Butterfly watchers can expect a decline in butterfly sightings this month, but you might still see some of the sulphurs and whites (family: Pieridae).

Remember: The Carolinas are home to five families of butterflies: the skippers (Hesperiidae), gossamer wings (Lycaenidae), brush-foots (Nymphalidae), swallowtails (Papilionidae) and the sulphurs and whites (Pieridae). Each of these families can be divided into a number of sub-families, each having distinct identifying characteristics.

This month, we will consider a sub-family of the brush-foots, the milkweed butterflies (Danainae). Members of the Danainae are boldly colored with black and orange wings. Males have distinct black spots or patches called andoconium on each hindwing that release pheromones. Caterpillars are finely striped with black, white and yellow. Three species of milkweed butterflies are found in North Carolina: monarch, queen and soldier. Queen and soldier sightings are mainly limited to the coast, although queens have been recorded in Durham County. The food plants for the caterpillars are strictly those in milkweed family, including the genera Asclepias (e.g., butterfly weed, common milkweed), Matelea (e.g., common anglepod, maroon Carolina milkvine) and Cynanchum (e.g., sand-vine on the coast). Plants in this family are poisonous, making the caterpillars and adults mildly toxic and extremely distasteful to potential predators. Adult Danaids take nectar from a variety of flowers.

Reptiles & Amphibians.− Expect to find a few copperheads warming themselves on the roads at night this month. Also, look out for redbacked salamanders and box turtles.

Copperhead, Orange County, N.C., November 2007 (by N. Cagle)

Other Insects.− This month, the crickets and cicadas will quiet down for the winter, and the orb weavers will certainly disappear. Watch out for wasps and yellow jackets while hiking and exploring this month.

In Bloom this Month.− Be on the lookout for these November fruits and flowers:

In Bloom:
BEARDED BEGGARSTICKS - Bidens aristosa
BLUE MISTFLOWER - Conoclinium coelestinum
WHITE WOOD-ASTER – Eurybia divaricata
WITCH HAZEL - Hamamelis virginiana
SCARLET ROSE-MALLOW – Hibiscus coccineus
BLACK-EYED SUSAN – Rudbeckia fulgida
GOLDENROD(S) – Solidago spp.
FROST ASTER(S) - Symphyotrichum spp.

In Fruit:
PERSIMMON – Diospyros virginiana
BEAUTY BERRY – Callicarpa americana
HEARTS-A-BUSTIN’ – Euonymus americanus
AMERICAN HOLLY - Ilex opaca

CORAL HONEYSUCKLE - Lonicera sempervirens

PASSION FLOWER – Passiflora spp.
FOX GRAPES – Vitis labrusca
MUSCADINES – Vitis rotundifolia

References:

Cook, Dave. 2001. The Piedmont Almanac. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Mystic Crow Publishing.

Daniels, J. C. 2003. Butterflies of the Carolinas. Cambridge, MN: Adventure Publications, Inc.

LeGrand, H. E. Jr. 2009. Notes on the Butterflies of North Carolina. Available at: http://149.168.1.196/nbnc/

Flat River Impoundment (Durham, NC)

This past weekend, I brought my family to a Lepidopteran wonderland: the Flat River Waterfowl Impoundment in north Durham county, North Carolina.

Variegated Fritillaries, Flat River Impoundment, NC (photo by M. Cagle)

Butterflies (Order: Lepidoptera) abound at the small, goldenrod rimmed wetland, originally created to mitigate the loss of bird habitat after the Neuse River was dammed to form Falls Lake. Recent sightings by Rougement resident, Randy Emmitt, include scores of Variegated Fritillaries, Pearl Crescents, Common Buckeyes, and Common Checkered Skippers. Our own expedition also yielded a number of migrating Monarchs, Cloudless Sulphurs and a Variegated Fritillary caterpillar feeding happily on a passionflower vine.

Variegated Fritillary caterpillar, Flat River Impoundment, NC (photo by M. Cagle)

Our favorite location at the impoundment was "the butterly tree" -- a large willow loaded with Buckeyes, Viceroys, as well as some Question Marks, Red Admirals, and Red-Spotted Purples. Butterflies often congregate on willows to lay eggs (e.g., Viceroys and Red-Spotted Purples) and to glean sap (e.g., Question Marks and Red Admirals). We were also lucky to see a number of Great Egrets and a low-flying, white-rumped Northern Harrier (aka: Marsh Hawk).

The butterfly tree, Flat River Impoundment, NC (photo by N. Cagle)

Common buckeye butterfly, Flat River Impoundment, NC (photo by N. Cagle)

Great egrets, Flat River Impoundment, NC (photo by N. Cagle)

Warning: Make sure to visit on Sundays, when hunting is off limits at this popular fowling spot.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS: October in the Piedmont

Birds.− October brings a number of winter residents back to the Piedmont, but also expect diminishing numbers of broadwing hawks, chimney swifts, most swallow species and ruby-throated hummingbirds. Migrant warblers continue to pass through North Carolina as they head towards the neotropics for the winter; they can often be found with vocal winter residents such as Carolina chickadees and tufted titmice.

The tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor), an active and expressive songbird in the tit and chickadee family (Paridae), is a common resident of the eastern United States. This chatty bird demands attention as it darts through trees, searching for insects and caterpillars in spring and summer, and nuts and berries in winter and fall. In fact, titmice will often hoard food from bird feeders in winter and fall, usually stashing their stores within 130 feet of the source. Tufted titmice nest in the cavities left behind by woodpeckers and favor deciduous or mixed forest and suburban yards. Birdwatchers recognize the tufted titmouse by its prominent gray crest and dark eyes.

Butterflies.− Butterfly watchers can expect a decline in butterfly sightings this month, with the exception of some of the sulphurs and whites (family: Pieridae). Monarchs continue to migrate southward this month to their winter residence in Mexico.

Remember: The Carolinas are home to five families of butterflies: the skippers (Hesperiidae), gossamer wings (Lycaenidae), brush-foots (Nymphalidae), swallowtails (Papilionidae) and the sulphurs and whites (Pieridae). Each of these families can be divided into a number of sub-families, each having distinct identifying characteristics.

This month, we will consider the spread-wing skippers (subfamily: Pyrginae). Members of the Pyrginae are normally plain and dark brown or black, and some have light spots on their forewings. A number of species land with their wings open or half open. Female pyrgines take nectar from flowers, and males often obtain salts from mud-puddles and animal droppings. Caterpillars in the subfamily Pyrginae often live in shelters constructed of rolled or webbed leaves. Most pyrgines are found in the neotropics, but a number of species can be found in North Carolina, including Hayhurst’s scallopwing, dreamy duskywings (mountains only), southern cloudywings, mottled cloudywings and northern cloudywings. Larval hosts include birches, bush clovers, lamb’s quarters, milk vetch, New Jersey tea, poplars and willows.

Reptiles & Amphibians.− Continue to keep an eye out for snakes and turtles. Although you may still hear frogs and toads calling this month, large choruses won’t start up again until January.

Other Insects.− This month, the work of twig girdlers (Oncideres cingulata) becomes evident in the form of neatly broken twig ends littering the forest floor. In late summer, female twig girdlers – large, dusky beetles – lay their eggs at the tip of a branch, and girdle the twig so that eventually it falls off, allowing her offspring to overwinter in and eventually feed on the twig and surrounding debris. Also, expect a decline in spider sightings, but keep an eye open for garden spider and praying mantis egg cases. Also, dragonfly numbers are declining this month, although you may see some species migrating to winter territories.

In Bloom this Month.− Be on the lookout for some striking October flowers:

In Bloom:
WINGSTEM – Actinomeris alternifolia
BLUE MISTFLOWER - Conoclinium coelestinum
COMMON SNEEZEWEED - Helenium autumnale
SCARLET ROSE-MALLOW – Hibiscus coccineus
BLACK-EYED SUSAN – Rudbeckia sp.
GREAT LOBELIA – Lobelia siphilitica
DOWNY LOBELIA – Lobelia puberula
ROSINWEED(S) – Silphium spp.
GOLDENROD(S) – Solidago spp.
IRONWEED(S) - Vernonia spp

In Fruit:
HEARTS-A-BUSTIN’ – Euonymus americanus
MUSCADINES – Vitis rotundifolia

Historical Anecdote: American Beech – Fagus grandifolia
“[The] Beech is identifiable by the gleam of its wondrously smooth bark, not furrowed even by extreme old age. Here it will be free of branches for full half its height, the sturdy boughs then gracefully down-sweeping. The gray bole has a further beauty in the way it flutes out at the base into strong feet, to the shallow, wide-spreading roots. And the luxuriant growth of mosses on the north side of such a tree, together with the mottling of lichens, add to the look it ears of wisdom and serenity.” – Donald Culross Peattie, 1948, A Natural History of Trees of Eastern and Central North America

Additional References:
National Audobon Society. 1980. Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders. New York, New York: Chanticleer Press.

Conant, R., and J.T. Collins. 1991. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians: Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston, MA.

Cook, Dave. 2001. The Piedmont Almanac. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Mystic Crow Publishing.

Daniels, J. C. 2003. Butterflies of the Carolinas. Cambridge, MN: Adventure Publications, Inc.

Ehrlich, P., D. Dobkin, and D. Wheye (1988). The Birder's Handbook. New York: Simon & Schuster.

LeGrand, H. E. Jr. 2009. Notes on the Butterflies of North Carolina. Available at: http://149.168.1.196/nbnc/

Palmer, W. M. and A. L. Braswell. 1995. Reptiles of North Carolina. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press.

Piedmont Savanna Ecology Course

Some spaces are still available for Piedmont Savanna Ecology, a new course offered by the UNC Botanical Gardens.

Course title: Piedmont Savanna Ecology
Course location: UNC Botanical Garden

Date/Time: Saturdays, Oct 2, 9, 16, 23; 1:00–4:30 pm
Instructor: Nicolette Cagle, Ph.D.

Course description: In this course, students explore the rare Piedmont savanna plant community: its ecological history and the relative roles of climate, disturbance, and humans in grassland establishment and persistence. Students learn about the soil, flora, and fauna of the Piedmont savanna, emphasizing rare and threatened species, and examine current and future status of this rare Piedmont plant community. We end with a field trip to two restoration sites. No pre-requisites. Fee: $125 ($110 NCBG members)

If you have any questions or need a registration form, please feel free to contact me at nicolette.cagle (at) gmail.com.

Echinacea laevigata at Penny's Bend, Durham, NC (July 2008; Photo by N. Cagle)

Laurel Bluffs Trail along the Eno River (Durham, NC)

Overview: Located in north Durham, the Laurel Bluffs Trail offers a 5 mile out-and-back hike. The trail winds through Piedmont forest along the Eno River, starting at Eno River State Park's Pump Station trail and ending at Guess Road. The trail tightly hugs the river, deviating over ridge tops for only a couple short stretches. Highlights include large (2 - 2.5 ft in diameter) tulip trees and beeches, as well as the ruins of an old hunting lodge and the Guess Mill dam. Hiking on a Sunday morning, we encountered only one runner and one bustling hiker from a nearby neighborhood.

From Laurel Bluffs trail

Directions: The trail can be accessed from Eno River State Park's Pump Station trail (see map). To arrive at the Pump Station trail, take Guess Road north about 0.9 miles from exit 147 off I-85. Turn left at Carver Street, and continue 1.7 miles. Turn right at Rose of Sharon, go 0.6 miles and turn left at Valley Springs Road. Continue on Valley Springs for 0.4 miles, turning left at Rivermont, the first gravel road on the left. Pump Station trail will be half a mile down on the righthand side of the road, immediately before the bridge.

The trail can also be reached by descending a steep set of steps on the west side of Guess Road at the bridge that crosses the Eno River (see satellite image).

Observations & Ponderings: The Laurel Bluffs trail provides a quiet walk back through time, when the Eno River had a bustling mill economy. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, mills along the Eno River ground grain into flour and turned raw timber into usable lumber. According to Duncan Heron (see article here), below Hillsborough, NC there were about 15 mills along Eno River, strategically located in stretches where hard igneous and metamorphic rock jutted out into the river, making it easier to construct a dam and mill.

Jean Anderson (see article here), writing about old Orange County mills, states that mills were "viewed as good investments" and cost between $1,000 and $6,500 to start up. Mills usually took about 10% of the market value of the grain they ground, and Piedmont mills were known to make an annual profit of around $1,000 - $2,000. Despite their profitability, Eno River mills were extremely vulnerable to heavy rains and their associated flooding. According to local lore, Synott's Mill, the first built along the Eno River in 1752, fell victim to a devastating flood.

Anderson goes on to write that mills were once central to 19th century Piedmont society. Local mills provided a place for men to swap stories, politicians to garner support and postal riders brought news from outside the rural Piedmont. Although these mills are no longer crucial to the Piedmont community, they do provide a charming backdrop for considering our rich history, while allowing us to revel in the beauty of our boulder-strewn, forest-fringed Eno River.

Below are photos of the Laurel Bluffs trail (photos by Nicolette Cagle, taken on 5 September 2010):

From Laurel Bluffs trail

Upland stretch of the Laurel Bluffs trail (Photo by N. Cagle, Sep 2010)

From Laurel Bluffs trail

Fish Dam Island along the Laurel Bluffs trail (Photo by N. Cagle, Sep 2010)

From Laurel Bluffs trail

Remnants of the old hunting lodge along the Laurel Bluffs trail (Photo by N. Cagle, Sep 2010)

From Laurel Bluffs trail

Remanants of Guess Mill Dam along Laurel Bluffs trail (Photo by N. Cagle, Sep 2010)

From Laurel Bluffs trail

Old mill stone along Laurel Bluffs trail (Photo by N. Cagle, Sep 2010)

From Laurel Bluffs trail

Spill way of the mill along Laurel Bluffs trail (Photo by N. Cagle, Sep 2010)

GREAT EXPECTATIONS: September in the Piedmont

Birds.− September brings a number of winter residents back to the Piedmont, including the yellow-bellied sapsuckers, an occasional red-breasted nuthatch and a number of wrens (winter, sedge, marsh) and sparrows (swamp and white-throated). Migrant warblers continue to pass through North Carolina as they head towards the neotropics for the winter. Birders may even see snowy egrets, little blue herons and tricolored herons, which won’t return again to the Piedmont until early April.

Butterflies.− Expect to see a pulse of cloudless sulphurs, little yellows and sleepy oranges this month. Swallowtail sightings will likely drop-off by mid-month, with the exception of the black swallowtail. Butterfly watchers can also expect to see gray and red-banded hairstreaks, gulf and variegated fritillaries, as well as an increased number of viceroy sightings. Monarchs may be seen as they migrate southward to their winter residence in Mexico.

The Carolinas are home to five families of butterflies: the skippers (Hesperiidae), gossamer wings (Lycaenidae), brush-foots (Nymphalidae), swallowtails (Papilionidae) and the sulphurs and whites (Pieridae). Each of these families can be divided into a number of sub-families, each having distinct identifying characteristics. This month, we will consider the sulphurs (subfamily: Coliadinae), some species of which are on the rise this month. Members of the Coliadinae are normally some shade of yellow, often having dark markings on their wings. Males and females usually differ in appearance (i.e., they are sexually dimorphic), and their coloration may vary with the seasons. For example, the sleepy orange if often bright yellow in the summer, but their hindwings often become rust-colored in the fall. Male sulphurs can often be found congregating around mud-puddles, where they obtain water and salts. Sulphurs are found in open, disturbed habitat and they over-winter as larvae.

Reptiles & Amphibians.− Continue to keep an eye out for snakes and turtles, especially baby box turtles. Skinks are also out in abundance. Although you may still hear frogs and toads calling this month, large choruses won’t start up again until January.

Other Insects.− This month, expect an increase in praying mantis and spider activity. Female garden spiders (Argiope aurantia) will be guarding egg cases this time of year. In fact, garden spiders breed only once a year. Males garden spiders will court the females by plucking strands on her web, and die after mating, sometimes being consumed by the female. The female garden spider will then lay her eggs (usually at night), covering them in layers of silk. One to four egg sacs, with thousands of eggs inside, are usually suspended in the middle of her web, where she guards them against predation until she dies with the first hard frost. In spring, young garden spiders will emerge from the brown-silk sac. Some offspring may remain closeby, but others exude a strand of silk that gets caught in the wind, carrying them to a new home.

In Bloom this Month.− Be on the lookout for some striking September flowers:

In Bloom:
WINGSTEM – Actinomeris alternifolia
WHITE SNAKEROOT – Ageratina altissima
PARTRIDGE PEA – Chamaechrista fasciculata
TURTLEHEAD – Chelone glabra
BEECHDROPS – Epifagus virginiana
DEVIL'S-GRANDMOTHER - Elephantopus tomentosus
BONESET – Eupatorium perfoliatum
BLACK-EYED SUSAN – Rudbeckia sp.
TRAILING WILD BEAN - Strophostyles helvula
GREAT LOBELIA – Lobelia siphilitica
DOWNY LOBELIA – Lobelia puberula
SMALL SKULLCAP – Scutellaria parvula
AXILLARY GOLDENROD – Solidago caesia
GOLDENROD(S) – Solidago spp.

In Fruit:
HEARTS-A-BUSTIN’ – Euonymus americanus
MUSCADINES – Vitis rotundifolia

Historical Anecdote: Sweet gum – Liquidambar styraciflua
“This sweet gum is a noble tree, that might well impress anyone new to the sight of it. And the sight is a common one, for it grows along any fence row, in piedmont Virginia, beside any country road of the Carolinas, in any field abandoned by agriculture and growing up to scrub pine and dogwood. It comes up in company, in these upland sites, with sassafras and red cedar, and may be known by its beautiful star-shaped leaves. Their upper surface has a star-like glister, but unlike most shining leaves, those of the sweet gum are not dark at maturity but a light, gay yellow-green. Crushed in the fingers, they give out a cleanly fragrance; on the tongue they have a tart taste. Foliage so odd and yet so attractive would make any tree conspicuous.” – Donald Culross Peattie, 1948, A Natural History of Trees of Eastern and Central North America

References:
National Audobon Society. 1980. Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders. New York, New York: Chanticleer Press.

Cook, Dave. 2001. The Piedmont Almanac. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Mystic Crow Publishing.

Daniels, J. C. 2003. Butterflies of the Carolinas. Cambridge, MN: Adventure Publications, Inc.

LeGrand, H. E. Jr. 2009. Notes on the Butterflies of North Carolina. Available at: http://149.168.1.196/nbnc/

Piedmont Savanna Ecology Course at UNC Botanical Garden

Interested in local ecology? Curious about the once and future prairie and savanna communities of the North Carolina Piedmont? If so, check out a new course offered by the UNC Botanical Garden:

Course title: Piedmont Savanna Ecology
Course location: UNC Botanical Garden

Date/Time: Saturdays, Oct 2, 9, 16, 23; 1:00–4:30 pm
Instructor: Nicolette Cagle, Ph.D, Department of Ecology, Duke University

Course description: In this course, students explore the rare Piedmont savanna plant community: its ecological history and the relative roles of climate, disturbance, and humans in grassland establishment and persistence. Students learn about the soil, flora, and fauna of the Piedmont savanna, emphasizing rare and threatened species, and examine current and future status of this rare Piedmont plant community. We end with a field trip to two restoration sites. No pre-requisites. Fee: $125 ($110 NCBG members)

If you have any questions or need a registration form, please feel free to contact me at nicolette.cagle (at) gmail.com.

***********************
Nicolette L. Cagle, Ph.D.
http://www.duke.edu/~nlc4

Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area (Hillsborough, NC)

Overview: Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, located in Hillsborough, North Carolina adjacent to I-85, is widely appreciated for its geologic uniqueness and unusual plant and animal species. Occoneechee Mountain is one of North Carolina's renowned monadnocks, i.e., an isolated mountain rising above the peneplain of the Piedmont. Its high elevation and relative isolation provides a home for a number of species usually reserved to our western mountains, including Galax, mountain witch-alder and Rhododendron catawbiense, as well as the brown elfin butterfly and silvery checkerspot.

Hiking Opportunities and Directions: A number of hiking trails (ranging from about 1 -3 miles, often over steep, rocky terrain) allow you to explore the natural wonders of Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area. A fairly new trail, completed in 2007, allows you to walk around the entire mountain. Other trails take you through the heart of monadnock, including the Brown Elfin Knob and Overlook trails.

To reach Occoneechee Mountain, take exit 164 off of I-85. Then, turn north on Churton Street, turn left at the next traffic light onto Mayo Street, and turn left onto Orange Grove Road. Finally, turn right at the second turnoff onto the gravelly Virginia Cates Road, and head to the parking area (conveniently supplied with toilets).

Observations: On Sunday, June 6, 2010, my husband, 16 month old son and I began a hike at Occoneechee Mountain State Park. We had visited the park numerous times before, enthralled by black oaks, lowland forests replete with ferns, pyrophyllite crystals and numerous reptiles. We had also worked hard in the summer heat to complete a footbridge on the new trail in 2007 along with some friends and volunteers.

On this particular trip, we hardly made it beyond the parking lot. Along the road, leading to the trail heads, was a stand of flagrantly showy common milkweeds (Asclepias syriaca) in bloom. Pollinators and pests abounded, and my husband and I couldn't help but stand there awestruck. Then, we broke out the camera, attempting to capture the variety and beauty of the insects associated with this relatively commonplace stand of milkweed.

Tiger swallowtail butterfly and common milkweed (Occoneechee Mountain SNA, Hillsborough, NC, 6 Jun 2010)

Pennsylvania leatherwing (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus) and common milkweed (Occoneechee Mountain SNA, Hillsborough, NC, 6 Jun 2010)

Common milkweed (Occoneechee Mountain SNA, Hillsborough, NC, 6 Jun 2010)

Bumble bee and common milkweed (Occoneechee Mountain SNA, Hillsborough, NC, 6 Jun 2010)

Beetle (to be identified) and common milkweed (Occoneechee Mountain SNA, Hillsborough, NC, 6 Jun 2010)

Silver-spotted skipper and common milkweed (Occoneechee Mountain SNA, Hillsborough, NC, 6 Jun 2010)

Red milkweed beetle (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus) and common milkweed (Occoneechee Mountain SNA, Hillsborough, NC, 6 Jun 2010)

Swamp milkweed beetle (Labidomera clivicollis) and common milkweed (Occoneechee Mountain SNA, Hillsborough, NC, 6 Jun 2010)

GREAT EXPECTATIONS: May in the Piedmont

Birds.− This month migration season continues. Most of the brilliantly colored warblers are just passing through, but some migrants stop and stay in North Carolina. Local breeders include the scarlet and summer tanagers, ovenbirds and prairie warblers.

This may be the last opportunity (at least for a couple of months) for birders to see some of the plovers (e.g., black-bellied and semi-palmated) and sandpipers (e.g., spotted, solitary, least, white-rumped and upland). Also, be on the look out for lingering snowy egrets, little blue herons and black-crowned night herons.

Many birds also fledge this month. Bluebirds, ruby-throated hummingbirds, brown thrashers, northern mockingbirds, cardinals, pileated woodpeckers and barred owls are just some of the species documented to fledge in the Piedmont in May.

Butterflies.− This May, butterfly watchers will delight in the appearance of more skippers, quick and darting butterflies in the family Hesperiidae, including the swarthy, clouded, least, fiery, tawny-edged and crossline skippers. Skippers are often challenging to identify, but careful observation and quick photography can help butterfly watchers discern the differences among species. Still, some species, like the tawny-edged and crossline skipper, are so similar in appearance that even photographs may prove difficult to differentiate.

Also, expect to see some hairstreaks (e.g., coral, banded and striped), great spangled frittilaries, northern pearly eyes, Appalachian browns, common wood nymphs and little wood satyrs.

Reptiles & Amphibians.− This month, expect to find snakes even during the day. The hot weather of mid-summer makes must of our snakes crepuscular (i.e., active at dawn and dusk), but this time of year many snakes will be out in the middle of the day. Large choruses of northern crickets frogs, Fowler’s toads, eastern narrow-mouthed toads and Cope’s gray treefrogs can also be heard this time of year. Also expect to hear bullfrogs and the characteristic three beat banjo-like call of the green frog.

Other Insects.− The first fire-flies often appear in May. Also, be on the look-out for hummingbird moths, a species of moth that hovers and makes an audible humming noise as it feeds. At the end of the month, one might find annual cicada shells clinging to tree trunks.

Mammals.− A number of bat species, including the little brown myotis, silver-haired bat, red bat and big brown bat are courting this month. Also, expect to see some young rabbits and opossums.

In Bloom this Month.− As the spring ephemerals disappear, May floral displays may initially seem less impressive, but there are some gems among the flowers blooming this month, including the high-contrast green-and-golds and the pitcher-shaped jack-in-the-pulpits.

In Bloom:
JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT (Arisaema triphyllum)
SMOOTH SWEET-SHRUB (Calycanthus floridus)
GREEN-AND-GOLD (Chrysogonum virginianum)
HEART'S-A'BUSTIN' (Euonymus americanus)
LITTLE-BROWN-JUG (Hexastylis arifolia)
BEAKED HAWKWEED (Hieracium gronovii)
RATTLESNAKE-WEED (Hieracium venosum)
BLUETS (Houstonia caerulea)
SUMMER BLUET (Houstonia purpurea)
EASTERN YELLOW STAR-GRASS (Hypoxis hirsuta)
COLONIAL DWARF-DANDELION (Krigia dandelion)
WOOD-SORREL (Oxalis sp.)
RUNNING FIVE-FINGERS (Potentilla canadensis)
BLACKBERRY (Rubus sp.)
LYRE-LEAF SAGE (Salvia lyrata)
SKULLCAP (Scutellaria sp.)
MAPLE-LEAF VIBURNUM (Viburnum acerifolium)