Southern Piedmont Natural History

It’s that “Hickory Gold” time of year! Mockernut Hickories (Carya tomentosa) are adding a splash of yellow to woodlands this time of year. As green chlorophyll pigments are extracted to conserve nutrients before the leaves drop, the yellow xanthophyll accessory pigments are revealed.

Do you see it? 👀

Discolored Renia Moths (Renia discoloralis) are hard to find because they spend most of their life in the leaf litter where they’re very well camouflaged. Unlike most moths whose caterpillars feed on the living leaves, Renia moth caterpillars are decomposers of fallen leaves.

You can thank our native bumblebees for our fruiting native blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) this time of year. Their flight generates a unique buzzing frequency that causes pollen to exit a small pore at the tip of the anther, leading to the cross-pollination of blueberry bushes.

Have you seen any Black and Yellow Mud Daubers (Sceliphron caementarium) this spring? These wasps will catch your attention, but there’s nothing to fear. Mud Daubers are docile and rarely sting without intentional pestering. Females often build their characteristic nests underneath eaves.

The evergreen leaves of Little Brown Jug (Hexastylis arifolia) can be seen against the leaf litter all year, but this time of year, you can also find its flowers! You'll just have to do some digging through the leaf litter to find them. The flowers have no petals, just thick sepals.

Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is blooming in sunny woodlands edges. This native vine grows across the eastern United States and it’s often available at native plant sales. As you might suspect from its tubular red flowers, it’s pollinated by ruby-throated hummingbirds.

You’ve seen pollen covering the ground and blowing through the air, but have you seen pollen grains up close? Here are pollen grains from six native plants you’ll find in the Piedmont this time of year…if you look REALLY close!

I spotted this Nessus Sphinx Moth (Amphion floridensis) last night. It’s common east of the Great Plains in woodlands and yards where the caterpillars feed on native grapes (Vitis spp.) and Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia).

Hiking through a bottomland forest this time of year, you might see Zebra Swallowtails (Eurytides marcellus) flying up and down the trail. The males have a low (< 10 feet up), rapid flight as they patrol their territory for rival males and search for mates. Photo by Judy Gallagher, CC BY 2.0 DEED

Have you been noticing mats of pink, purple, or white flowers in yards recently? If so, they might be Creeping or Moss Phlox (Phlox subulata). You might be surprised to learn that they're native to the eastern United States, most often occurring in the Appalachian Mountains.

Common Blue Violets (Viola sororia var. sororia) are a familiar sight this time of year. Also called Dooryard Violets, they’re native to the eastern and central US and show up in yards and bottomland forests. Caterpillars of several fritillary butterflies feed on the heart-shaped leaves.

If you look at the end of a pine tree branch in the Piedmont this time of year, you’ll find developing male pollen cones. These will soon mature and release their pollen into the breeze, coating the world in “yellow chalk dust.”

Lots of wildflowers are blooming in parks and lawns right now. Some are native (labeled N) but many are introduced from Eurasia and might be considered a weed in your garden beds.

How many have you seen this year?

The fuchsia flowers of Eastern Redbud or Judas Tree (Cercis canadensis) are starting to appear. This native tree is a common sight in yards and along roadways and woodland edges each March and April.

Cut-leaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata) grows in moist woodlands across the eastern and central United States. Its bell-shaped flowers have four white petals that fade to pink as they age. A wide variety of bees pollinate them.

So how many of you went out to view the eclipse last night? I took this picture at 3:20 am during totality. 🌖

It was a warm out this past weekend and I saw my first Mourningcloak (Nymphalis antiopa) of the year! They’re named after their chocolate brown wings, which resemble the dark clothing worn by a grieving person.

Photo by Vicki DeLoach, Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is blooming in hardwood forests! If you want to find some, look in hardwood bottomlands and coves during March and April in eastern North America. This native wildflower is named after the poisonous red sap in its rhizome (underground modified stem).

Dimpled Trout Lillies (Erythronium umbilicatum ssp. umbilicatum) are one of the first native wildflowers to bloom each year and a beautiful sign of the return of spring. Also called Dogtooth Violets, you can find them from February to April in woodlands, particularly moist bottomlands.

Sharp-lobed Liverleaf (Hepatica acutiloba) is starting to bloom in shady woodlands of the upper Piedmont and Blue Ridge. Its tri-lobed leaves have sharp tips, hence this plant’s common name. The flowers vary in color from pink, to lavender, to white and are pollinated by native bees and flies.

I’ve been seeing Green Lacewings around my yard on warm winter days. Many of the lacewing species in the eastern United States overwinter as pupae within a silk cocoon. The larvae, called Aphid Lions, are abundant in gardens and they consume pests such as aphids.

Have you seen any?

Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) is flowering in lawns, roadsides, and sunny disturbed habitats. This introduced weed comes from Africa and Eurasia but you can find it across much of North America today. Hand pulling and frequent mowing before flowers mature are two chemical-free means of control.

Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) flock to fruiting trees and bushes this time of year. Their ‘cedar’ name comes from the habit of consuming large numbers of eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) seed cones but they eat many native fruits too.

Photo by Shiva Shenoy, Flickr, CC BY 2.0 DEED

American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) live year-round across most of the United States. They’re the smallest falcon in North America, roughly the size of a mourning dove. Kestrels live in open habitats and often perch on fences and power lines.

Photo by Jeff Bryant, Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0

Round-lobed Hepatica (Hepatica americana) is one of the first spring wildflowers to appear. It’s native to eastern North America and blooms from February to May in shady bottomlands and creek banks within hardwood forests.

I found this Common Script Lichen (Graphis scripta) growing on the north side of a Tulip-tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) last week. The script-like pattern of its fruiting bodies has given it another name - Secret Writing Lichen.

Have you ever seen a tiny egg-like structure like this and wondered, “What’s that?” It’s the cocoon of a small wasp named Charops annulipes. I found this cocoon dangling from a pokeweed leaf.

I found this Common Script Lichen (Graphis scripta) growing on the north side of a Tulip-tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) last week. The script-like pattern of its fruiting bodies has given it another name - Secret Writing Lichen.

One of the first native wildflowers to bloom each year is Trailing Arbutus (Epigaea repens). Roadsides, the margins of hiking trails, and under the partial shade of bushes are good places to look for it starting in mid-February.

Photo by Fritz Flohr Reynolds, CC BY-NC 2.0 DEED