BACKYARD NATURE: Treefrogs & More

One humid evening last week, I went out in my own backyard to commune a bit with nature. I was greeted by a vociferous chorus of grey treefrogs looking for love. I was also surprised by a Fowler's toad, hopping furiously away from me, as well as a beautiful sphinx moth. Sometimes nature truly is right outside your own backdoor.

Sphinx moth, 6 May 2009, Durham NC (© Nicolette Cagle)

Fowler's toad, 6 May 2009, Durham NC (© Nicolette Cagle)

Grey treefrog on river birch, 6 May 2009, Durham NC (© Nicolette Cagle)

Grey treefrog on eastern redbud, 6 May 2009, Durham NC (© Nicolette Cagle)

NEIGHBORHOOD NATURE: Snakes in Autumn

In our own backyard and neighborhood in north Durham, I am always delighted to find snakes curled up next to a rock, basking in the sun or making their way to winter hibernacula in autumn. October and November usually are the last months in which we see snakes in the North Carolina piedmont, but the variety of species seen this time of year can be more impressive than even those seen in mid-summer.

Unfortunately, since so many snakes are on the move to their winter hibernacula this time of year, many are run over on roads that they were either basking on or simply trying to cross. Despite their declining numbers, many people are reluctant to let snakes live in their yards or neighborhood, but by killing snakes we are destroying a valuable part of North Carolina's ecological heritage that also serves as a natural predator of common rodent and insect pests.

Below are a few photographs of snake that I've seen in the backyard this autumn. One notable sighting, not pictured, was a mid-sized copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix):

Northern brown snake (Storeria dekayi dekayi)

Rough earth snake (Virginia striatula)

Here are more somber pictures of dead-on-road (DOR) snakes found recently in my small neighborhood:

Mole kingsnake (Lampropeltis calligaster) DOR

Rough earth snake (Virginia striatula) DOR

Neighborhood Nature: Backyard Bryophytes in October

Introduction: The "Neighborhood Nature" segment of my blog is meant to reveal nature in our own neighborhoods and backyards. The natural areas near our homes may not always be pristine, but they often abound with fascinating plants, animals and natural phenomenon.

Backyard Bryophytes: Bryophytes, tiny non-vascular and non-flowering plants that first adapted to terrestrial environments about 500 million years ago, often go ignored as we tramp through our yards. These plants, consisting of mosses, liverworts and the elusive hornworts are surprisingly diverse (over 23,000 species have been described worldwide). In my own backyard, I was able to find and identify at least five different bryophyte species.

Brachythecium spp.

Bryoandersonia illecebra

Hydrohypnum spp.

Pottia spp. (?)

Thuidium spp.

Need more information? Bryophyte identification can be very challenging. If you're really interested in learning more about these fascinating plants, sign up for the bryophyte class offered at the North Carolina Botanic Garden in Chapel Hill.

You can also pick up Crum and Anderson's 2 volume Mosses of Eastern North America (1981) and Marie L. Hicks's Guide to Liverworts of North Carolina, both of which are excellent references.