A walk in the woods with a bit of local history

Posted on April 19, 2016 by Maria dB

On a sunny afternoon in mid-April, volunteers at the North Carolina Botanical Garden (NCBG) had the chance to learn about Bill Hunt, a horticultural expert who donated hundreds of acres of land for environmental conservation to the University of North Carolina. Hunt’s work laid the foundations for the expansion of the Garden with the Hunt Arboretum and the Piedmont Nature Trails in woods behind the cultivated gardens. The trails were “re-dedicated” during a walk to commemorate the Garden’s first public offering, which was originally dedicated on 10 April 1966. A walk in the woods was quite a nice way to help celebrate the NCBG’s 50^th birthday.

We learned about how the Nature Trails were created and maintained from Ken Moore, retired assistant director of the NCBG and the Garden’s first employee.

Moore was accompanied by other Garden staff who offered other interesting tidbits of information. For example, Johnny Randall, NCBG Director of Conservation, told us about how Mr. Hunt visited his rhododendron bushes along Morgan Creek and invited friends to swim at Elephant Rock and to forest picnics at his personal grill located creekside, all the while wearing a suit and tie in his beloved woods.

Staff pointed out some of the lovely native plants seen in the springtime woods, including plants that were rescued from other sites such as the trilliums.

Sweet Betsy (Trillium cuneatum) Virginia pennywort (Obolaria virginica)

The woodsorrels have three-lobed, clover-like leaves.

.Common yellow woodsorrel (Oxalis stricta) Violet woodsorrel (Oxalis violacea)

Indian plantain (Arnoglossum plantagineum) Spotted wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata)

We also heard about the non-native and invasive plants that were planted along the Nature Trails before conservationists were aware of how they out-competed native plants for space and nutrients. They pointed out that we should remove such vegetation during our volunteer hours and from our own gardens at home, such as Oriental false hawksbeard (Youngia japonica (L.)), which I realized is nestling in in my yard, too.

Special attention was given to the plant with the delightful name of Italian lords-and-ladies (Arum italicum). There were many clumps of these large-leaved flowers and numerous specimens were blooming. While Ken told us how to identify male and female plants so we could eradicate them, other staff demonstrated how to uproot them with gusto.

As we climbed out of the woods after a couple hours, some last words were said about invasive plants and then Ken sped ahead to greet everyone as we re-entered the demonstration gardens. He kindly offered participants a small booklet about Bill Hunt’s life, a nice gift to commemorate 50 years of the Garden. It will be interesting to think about what the next 50 years might bring.

Wild comfrey (right, Cynoglossum virginianum)

A wildflower walk with surprises!

Posted on April 4, 2016 by Maria dB

This past Saturday morning, we awoke to water streaming from the heavens in quite a heavy downpour. A local conservation group, Friends of Bolin Creek, had scheduled a wildflower walk to see some of our ephemeral spring blooms but the wet conditions were not inviting. A decision to postpone the walk to early afternoon was taken – and the weather-people had gotten it right – the sun began shining at mid-day and the temperature rose, creating lovely conditions for a walk after all. A large owl (later revealed to be granddaughter Kate of the group’s president) greeted the small group of intrepid walkers and we set off to see what we could find.

Our first flowers were the not-yet-open blooms of a Southern arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum). We passed numerous black and yellow millipedes on the paths and then found another millipede species (Narceus americanus) curled up next to a little brown jug (also known as arrowleaf heartleaf, Hextastylis arifolia var arifolia).

We came across other nice specimens of the plant, including one with four small flowers.

The painted buckeye trees (Aesculus sylvatica) were blooming profusely with their greenish-yellow flowers.

Clusters of Eastern spring beauties (Claytonia virginica) were in their vicinity.

Some of the star chickweeds (Stellaria pubera) were near another white bloom, the rue anemones (Thalictrum thalictroides).

Both the trout lilies (Erythronium americanum) and cranefly orchids (Tipularia discolor) had already bloomed, the trout lilies about 7-10 days ago and the orchids in the winter (when there are no leaves). One orchid had left behind its brown stalk as a witness to the flower that had seen the light.

Tiny bluets (Houstonia pusilla) in clusters here and there provided some variation from the ubiquitous white blooms that we were seeing. The mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum) were just emerging and it will be a little while before we see their flowers emerge underneath the leafy umbrellas.

The creek was running high and fast and we debated on crossing it at the first branch. Only two of us had wellingtons (and one lady found that her boots leaked); others were wearing running and walking shoes but everyone made it across by using stones, canes and walking sticks that some of our group had brought along. Our immediate reward was a view of a gorgeous pinxterbloom wild azalea (Rhododendron periclymenoides).

A sighting of a foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), followed by a cutleaf toothwort (Cardamine concatenata) provided a bit more color, as did the littleleaf buttercup (Ranunculus abortivus), although its blooms were not fully expanded yet.

Only the jigsaw puzzle-like leaves of the bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) were in evidence as that flower had stopped blooming already. A tufted titmouse singing overhead (Baeolophus bicolor) gave us a nice little concert as compensation.

And then we came across our three surprises of the walk. We had already seen several Eastern tiger swallowtail butterflies (Papilio glaucus) fluttering by in one’s and two’s and we remarked how welcome they were because of the paucity of butterflies we had had the past couple years. But then across another branch of the creek, we spotted some 12-20 butterflies congregating over some delicacy of unknown (to us) origin.

The water was fairly deep and flowing fast, so we did not cross but we surmised that someone’s dog had left a pile of poo to provide a mud-puddling butterfly feast.

Then we noticed on a rock just below the bank under the butterflies where two Northern watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon) were having a little rest.

They were a bit dull in color, which became quite obvious when compared to a third northern watersnake that we spotted on a rock closer to the creek – perhaps a younger individual who had decided that a sunbath was just the thing for a Saturday afternoon.

While we were all enamored with the flowers we’d seen, the butterflies and snakes gave our walk a special feel.

On our return trip through the woods to reach our transportation, we came across an invasive plant, the bugleweed (Ajuga reptans). We had already seen plenty of Japanese wisteria, mahonia, privet and autumn olive and agreed that another volunteer day to weed out some invasives would be a good contribution to the preserve. But that is for the future – right now, we are happy to think back to our surprise spottings!

Chasing Joseph – excitement evoked by an effervescent bird!

Posted on March 12, 2016 by Maria dB

Birders can be quite enamored with their pursuit of avian species, some making special trips just to see one bird that they haven’t seen before. Such trips may be within an hour or two of their homes, but there are plenty of birders who travel to other (even distant) regions within their own or another country as well. Some people might say they are a bit crazy, but birding is actually one of the sanest ways to appreciate nature.

It generates knowledge, provides rest and relaxation (well, mostly) and many birders contribute to environmental protection and conservation, even if they restrict themselves to observing local species like Eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis). In addition, while much is made of the money that hunting fees provide for environmental programs, birders also make economic contributions to society – through donations to environmental protection groups and expenditures on birding supplies, ecotourism, etc. The Audubon Society reports that birders and other wildlife observers spend $916 million in the US state of North Carolina alone each year!

So, in the last half year, I’ve become a birder who will make a special trip to see a particular bird. In October last year, I traveled 77 miles with friends to see a buff-bellied hummingbird (Amazilia yucatanensis). This year, a shorter distance (22 miles) led me twice to the calliope hummingbird (left, Selasphorus calliope), which is the smallest bird species in North America outside Mexico.

The first visit was pure serendipity; two other birders (Lucretia and Lorentz) and I met birding guide Jan at a reservoir and he mentioned having seen the calliope the previous day. It was only a 10-minute drive from where we were, he said, and the couple hosting the bird was very nice. So we jumped in Lorentz’s car and headed over to the next county in pursuit of our lifer (a bird that one sees for the first time in one’s life).

The calliope hummers are the tiniest long-distance migrants of all the world’s birds, traveling from the mountains of the Northwest USA and Canada to Mexico and a few spots in the southern United States in winter. This year, however, a young male landed in the Malinski’s yard; they named him Joseph.

Some other instances of calliope hummingbirds in the Southeastern USA have been noted but they are still fairly unusual. However, it’s speculated that they may become more frequent winter visitors because of environmental changes associated with human activity.

At the Malinski’s home, the calliope is keeping company with another winter migrant, a female rufous hummingbird (below, Selasphorus rufus). Mrs. Malinski has seen the rufous chasing the calliope away from the feeders, living up to that species’ reputation for being feisty. However, the calliope hummers are brave, too, even chasing red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) away from their territories during breeding season!

Joseph is currently molting and can be identified for the time being with a little topknot atop his head. Susan Campbell, North Carolina’s well-known hummingbird bander, gave him his bracelet at the Malinski home, which should make it possible to identify him if he returns next year.

In this photo kindly provided by Susan, you can clearly see that he is developing the bright purple feathers that will grace his throat and give him a beautiful appearance in full maturity. They are just a little visible when he zips in to land at the feeder.

Both Joseph and the female rufous enjoy the nectar provided by the Malinski’s. These birds will also eat insects and calliopes are known to drink from yellow-bellied sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) sapwells like those shown here.

Many people have traveled to the couple’s home to observe Joseph. During my two visits, I encountered 10 other birders and I know of more who paid a visit. The Malinski’s are most gracious, allowing us to stay in their front yard for hours.

After I left them with Joseph buzzing back and forth between the front and back yards, I stopped at a rural road known as a spot for white-crowned sparrows. I didn’t see them but did get to see a loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus).

The Northern mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos) were courting and chasing each other, making a fair bit of noise and flashing their lovely feathers.

Even though mockingbirds live around my yard, I always enjoy seeing them again. I likely never will become a birder who goes off to exotic lands just to chase down one species I haven’t seen before. But I certainly am paying even more attention to the birds around me wherever I am and making some shorter forays as time permits (just yesterday, I joined friends Beth, Carol and Nan to go see a Wilson’s snipe (Gallinago delicata) at a farm in the next county – another lifer!). But it’s not only birds that will get me to travel – bears are on my list of animals that I am still hoping to see and photograph in the wild. When I get to that point, you’ll read about them here, too!

Mammal merriment, misery and markings

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Maria dB

Lately, many of my blogs have been about birds, mostly because they have been the easiest wildlife to photograph during the colder months. The mammals – and insects, reptiles and amphibians – have not been around much and likely have often visited when I’m not watching. I’m fairly certain that raccoons (Procyon lotor) and opossums (Didelphis virginiana) come to my yard after dark; perhaps the odd fox or coyote does as well. Nevertheless, after she stopped weaning her young and since summer ended, I haven’t seen Raquel raccoon all winter.

There a couple mammals, however, that I can count on to see every day because they have grown accustomed to having a food source at my house. Fallen bird seed (and seed and apples put out deliberately for ground feeders) does not get entirely gobbled up by the avian visitors, leaving pickings for the Eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), Eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus).

The squirrels keep a watch from the trees and underbrush and appear very quickly after the bird seed is replenished. My combined squirrel and raccoon baffles – and placing the feeder poles at least 10 feet away from any structures from which they launch themselves onto the poles – have proved successful in keeping them from the feeders. But they continue to look for vantage points from which they can attempt a jump to the feeders.

Before I learned how to thwart them, they made off with plenty of seed and suet – one squirrel even carrying off the entire suet feeder when s/he couldn’t get it open. I saw it happening and chased that squirrel, but they were faster than me!

They will share space happily with birds but don’t always want to share with other squirrels or chipmunks.

The chipmunks don’t let that selfish attitude deter them; they just keep a sharp eye out for when a squirrel might turn on them. They wolf down seed after seed, giving themselves a very fat-cheeked countenance!

The past few days, the squirrels have continued their chasing, but now it is not always in rivalry or play. Instead, their romantic side is showing and the merriment goes on for a good length of time. They appear to have designated a particular tree stump/snag in my back yard as their trysting spot.

The white-tailed deer carry on their mating elsewhere but I know it’s happening as the males are evidence. Usually, one small family group comes to my home – mom, her one-year-old daughter and one-year-old son (a button buck, so-called for his tiny little antler nubs). They were occasionally accompanied by a couple second-year bucks with little antlers – I suspect mama’s sons from the previous year.

One of them lost one of his antlers early, but whether this was the result of a fight or accident is unknown to me. It seems that mama has allowed an orphaned button buck to join their group occasionally, too.

A couple weeks ago, two of the older males came down from the woods in search of does and food in the cold weather. This pair was traveling together but that didn’t stop some rivalry where first-access to the available food was concerned.

Then one day about a week ago when we had some very icy weather, I was surprised by a new and unfamiliar family group for a day. I didn’t mind them eating some seed and the resident family wasn’t around to chase them away. But then I felt immensely sad as I saw that one of them had been injured. Her tongue was lolling out but it was only when she came into the yard that I saw she must have been in an accident.

I felt miserable for her, seeing her face had been smashed in but after watching for a while, I realized the accident must have happened some time ago as she had no open wounds.

It must have been terribly painful though. I decided to call her Camelia as her profile reminded me of a camel.

I put out some soft bread for her because I don’t know how easily she can eat. She does seem well-fed, however, so perhaps her disability is not hampering her nutritional intake. I haven’t seen her or her family again and don’t know if they will ever return, but it reminded me of how many deer are hurt and killed in accidents. I continue to think it would be worthwhile for research to continue on reducing deer populations through contraceptive use.

Outside my yard, I’ve been seeing many signs of beavers (Castor canadensis) in the parks and reserves I visit. Their teeth are strong and I recently learned why their teeth are reddish brown – the enamel contains iron!

They have left tree stumps, half-gnawed trees and detached trees that they have apparently not yet been able to drag over to their dams and dens.

One downed tree in particular looked to me like they had been working on a bird sculpture!

I’m guessing that some of the other animals will be coming out in the daytime soon around my home – at the very least, the frogs and rabbits, whom I have seen only very occasionally. Spring is coming and while I enjoy seasonal variety, I will welcome it with open arms!

Winter mornings at Jordan Lake

Posted on February 13, 2016 by Maria dB

Spending two cold early mornings at Jordan Lake the past couple weeks reinforced my conviction that getting out into nature is a restorative and calming activity. And it doesn’t need to be warm. Although a doctor pronounced me healed after my recent hospitalization and home treatment, it turns out that I’m not completely healthy after all. Starting a new treatment was a bit stressful, but seeing the birds at the lake was a joy.

Mind you, I’d love to see other wildlife there, but the mammals, reptiles and amphibians have been hiding out or keeping away from areas frequented by people. The fact that it is still hunting season probably makes some of them somewhat shy, too. I did manage to see a fly on one morning though.

The animals do leave behind signs of their presence, however. Tracks in the sand is one give-away that they passed by.

The beavers (Castor canadensis) leave behind distinctively gnawed tree stumps – and here you can also see one tree that they haven’t quite finished felling yet.

The shoreline vegetation was decorated with gull feathers in various areas of the lake.

A sandy track of what I assumed was a great blue heron (Ardea herodias) didn’t produce a bird at that site, but I saw these beauties in flight at two other sites.

At one area, I spotted a bird that seemed unfamiliar just as it was turning to take off. Friendly birders online identified it as an American pipit (Anthus rubescens), the first time I had seen this species (known as a “lifer” among the birding crowd). The next week I saw a killdeer (Charadrius vociferous) in the same spot but got a better shot.

The killdeer didn’t hang around too long either, but I was able to get a couple of nice flight photos this time.

The American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) were foraging in the shoreline woods, while the song sparrow was looking for food among the woody detritus left at lakeside.

In another place, the crows were very loudly making their presence known – it turned out that a red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) was perched nearby and they were making sure everyone knew the hawk was there.

In the trees near the lake, various birds could be seen: the ruby-crowned kinglet (Regulus calendula) was very busy as usual, flying from a sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) to other trees in rapid succession.

At one site, there were many dark-eyed juncos foraging on the ground and taking pauses in the trees and shrubs around. Juncos are actually a type of sparrow and a group of sparrows is known by several names: a crew, a flutter, a meinie, a quarrel and an ubiquity.

The downy woodpeckers (Dryobates pubescens) and red-bellied woodpeckers (Melanerpes carolinus) were in evidence at various lake sites.

Overhead, the double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) flew by; they would land and share space with the ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis).

The ring-billed gulls were numerous and occasionally one swooped down to fish not too far from shore.

While I was watching, the horned grebes (Odiceps auritus) were more successful in getting meals as they dove into the cold water.

A couple times I was very surprised by a bird that suddenly seemed to emerge out of nowhere to fly over my head or just in front of me. That was the case with a beautiful male wood duck (Aix sponsa) and a belted kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon).

An adult bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) soared by just as I was approaching an observation platform in one area; the distance and height were considerable but I managed a shot. A Bonaparte’s gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) flew by a little lower, while a Carolina chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) sat still for a portrait.

My last avian companions during my latest lake walk were a white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) and a lovely hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus).

I returned home on both occasions a satisfied birder!

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My beautiful world

Observations about the wondrous world of wildlife

Category Archives: Biological diversity

A walk in the woods with a bit of local history

A wildflower walk with surprises!

Chasing Joseph – excitement evoked by an effervescent bird!

Mammal merriment, misery and markings

Winter mornings at Jordan Lake

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