Below are descriptions of great places to see
interesting animals and plants, mostly in the Durham area. They include links to other pages on this website or to other websites describing them. I have
also listed my favorite animals and plants there (and which appear in photos
elsewhere on this website). For pages devoted to particular
places:
Also see the
Swamp Animals Page. Jump down to NC County Map.
"My neighborhood swamp" in
Durham, NC (on private property):
This is actually a duckweed-covered swamp fronted by a marsh with
several types of grasses including cattails and false nutsedge. I have seen a Green Heron, a Great
Blue Heron, a Lesser Yellowlegs, many Canada Geese, flocks of
mourning doves and a number of songbirds including an Indigo Bunting
and
American Goldfinches in the swamp part, while Red-winged Blackbirds are
sometimes found in the cattails. Insects seen in the
marsh include several species of Ladybug Beetles (both adults and
larvae), most commonly the Coleomegilla genus beetles, Rice Stink Bugs, Two-lined Froghoppers (Prosapia
bicincta), Dion Skippers, Fiery Skippers, Toad Bugs, Shore Bugs, Marsh
Flies, Flower Flies, Wolf Spiders, Six-spotted Fishing Spiders, Marsh
Beetles, Citrine Forktails, Fragile Forktails and
numerous grasshoppers. Ladybug Beetle
Pupae appeared on leaves of trees maybe 50 feet from the swamp's edge. Northern Cricket Frogs show
up at the marsh's periphery. Pictured is a Green Heron in
the swamp.
My neighborhood powerline cut
mini-swamp in Durham, NC. I have seen Golden and Clavate
Tortoise Beetle adults and a larva, a Burdock Beetle, a Lixus genus
weevil, a male Common Green Darner, a rhopalid bug, two courting stilt
bugs, several Northern Cricket Frogs and an American Toad mating pair.
Pictured: an adult Clavate Tortoise Beetle.
"My neighborhood creek/pond"
is an
optimal combination of both: it's narrow enough for me to see most of
the bottom, but the water is practically still. I have photographed crayfish
of all sizes and relatively large members of several fish species
(rainbow trout, bluegill, madtom) there. Dragonflies, including
Eastern Amberwings, Great Blue Skimmers and Slaty Skimmers abound all
summer. During droughts, part of the creek has dried up, leaving
little puddles in which very small crayfish and tubifex worms were
easily visible, while Green Frogs sat on the dry parts of the creek bed.
Pictured are red maple
blossoms which fell into the creek in early spring.
Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC: A very unusual
habitat, with alkaline soil more characteristic of the Midwest.
Its best-known rare species are the Blue Indigo and the Smooth
Coneflower. Controlled burns in some areas keep trees from
dominating other flora. Animals: several species of
solitary bees (accompanied by Large Bee Flies), a Fawn Darner, a Calico
Pennant, many Widow Skimmers, Ashy Clubtails, a very
fancy Northern Cricket Frog, Six-spotted Green Tiger Beetles, Blue
Corporals, an American Snout, Checkered Skippers, Chinese Mantids,
Ambush Bugs, a Toad Bug, a Puss Caterpillar, graphocephalid leafhoppers,
a bright red Mirid Bug nymph and a Pselliopus cincta
(a kind of assassin bug). Pictured are Dutchman's Breeches,
which grew near a spot with a high concentration of solitary bees and
Large Bee Flies.
Duke Forest Gate #12, Durham, NC: This is a power line cut
with varied scrub plants. Animals: A Springtime Darner, Checkered
Skippers, Variegated Fritillaries, Orange Sulphurs,
Eastern Tiger Swallowtails, Mantid egg cases,
and jumping spiders. Visit their website.
Duke Forest, Korstian Division,
Orange County, NC: The trail here is near to the banks of New Hope
Creek, bordering a thick forest. An unusual number of uncommon
species show up here. Animals: Mormidea lugens (stink bug), Wheel
Bug nymph, unidentified click beetle, Ground Skink, Harvester
butterflies, Oak Treehopper. Pictured: a foot-wide Tooth Fungus (Hericium erinaceus),
with ID made referring
to
mushroomexpert.com.
Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Durham, NC: A large cultivated garden,
with an Asian plant section that also attracts relatively unusual
insects. Animals:
Great Blue Herons, exotic ducks, a Common Sanddragon, Dion Skippers, Eastern Amberwings,
a Clavate Tortoise Beetle, Variegated Fritillaries, a Question Mark,
Eastern Amberwings, an unusual leafhopper (Sibovia occatoria, subfamily Cicadellinae).
Pictured: lotus flower plants.
A Jordan Lake Game Land
(Chatham County), off Route
751 near the bridge: This trail is mainly used by bird hunters.
Species seen here is special abundance are Turkey Vultures, Variegated
Fritillaries, Northern Cricket Frogs, Yellow-and-black Argiopes, Pearl
Crescents, and Cloudless Sulphurs, as well as Midges and (in puddles)
Water Boatmen. Pictured: a flowering plant
with ants and an inchworm on the buds.
Indian Creek Wildlife Observation
Trail, a Jordan Lake Game Land, Chatham County, NC: Animals:
A Northern Water Snake, a
White-M Hairstreak, several Falcate Orangetips (first seen in late
March), Northern Cricket Frogs fairly far inland, a Dog-day Cicada
fighting off a wasp attack, arrow-shaped Micrathenas, Tiger Beetles (Six-spotted Green and Common Sidewalk),
a Bush Cricket, a Horse Fly (Tabanus Fulvulus), a Stilt Bug, a
Broad-headed Bug, a Banded Pennant, a Long-legged Fly, a Clay-colored
Beetle, an oakworm moth, a Star-bellied Spider, Common Baskettails, Gemmed Satyrs, Carolina Satyrs, Sleepy Duskywings, and Juvenal's Duskywings.
Pictured: a relatively uncommon mystery plant which has leaves that look
fake. To see some animals from one expedition, see the
July 2006 expeditions page. NOTE:
The parking lot for this trail is currently closed.
Santee National Wildlife Refuge, SC: A beautiful natural area
covering parts of four counties. Animals: Duskywings, Large Bee Flies,
Common Baskettails, Falcate Orangetips. Pictured: water lilies.
Eno River State Park, NC, Orange and Durham Counties:
The Old Cole
Mill Road Access has had a number of uncommon species until
recently, especially near Bobbitt's Hole, an area of locally deep water
in the Eno River. Animals: Brown
Snake (pictured), River Cooters, Yellowbelly Sliders, Common Wood Nymphs, Northern Pearly Eyes, Carolina
Satyrs, Delaware Skippers, Henry's Elfins, a Tawny Emperor,
Arrow-shaped Micrathenas, a Horse Fly, sharpshooters (a kind of leafhopper), a Banasa calva
stink bug, Wheel Bug nymphs,
a Fruit Fly (Tephritidae family), and
both two young (inch-long) and adult Praying Mantids, including two that were mating in the brushy power line cut.
The
Fews Ford Access has an interesting trail over Cox Mountain on
which appeared these animals: Sleepy Duskywings, Bess Beetles, a Velvet
Mite, a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, adult Northern Fence Lizards and some
small Ground Skinks.
Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, Orange County, NC: An
area of locally high elevation and unusual trees. Animals:
Brown Elfins (pictured), Common Wood Nymphs, Cremastocheilus genus beetles
(?), Eastern
Tiger Swallowtails, Eastern Fence Lizards, various Duskywings, Zabulon
Skippers (on the power line cut), Blue Corporals on the mountain.
Near the pond, Common Baskettails and Lancet Clubtails.
River Park North, Greenville, Pitt County, NC:
This contains several habitats: an open field, a swamp with many very
large Water Tupelos and Bald Cypresses, a large lake and a power line cut. Animals: During a brief pass through this park in mid-February, I saw
several Great Blue Herons and two feral (wild members of imported
species) geese, a Gray Pomeranian and an Embden.
Downtown Greenville, Pitt County, NC: There is a small park on
the northern border of this area which was very springlike early in the
year. Animals: During a brief
pass through this area in mid-February, I saw a (very green) Orange Sulphur, a winter-form Sleepy Orange, and some some half-grown Rainbow Trout in a
river.
Johnston Mill, Orange County, NC: A heavily wooded area with
trails going near New Hope Creek and crossing a power line cut. It
has relatively few insects, although regionally uncommon species represented are
disproportionately common there. Spiders are common, with some unusual
species. Animals:
A Pileated Woodpecker and Downy Woodpeckers, Harvesters, a Praying
Mantis, Silvery Checkerspots,
a Menecletes Insertus Stink Bug, hawks (at least Red-shouldered Hawks) and White-tailed Deer. Pictured is part of a
Sugar Hackberry tree.
Pettigrew State Park, Creswell, NC: This area is remarkably
warm in winter, with very little wind. Animals: On 1/1/06,
I saw two Sleepy Oranges, a Ladybug Beetle and numerous small Wolf
Spiders. A large number of very vocal birds, apparently grackles,
went from tree to tree. Pictured is part of a large Sycamore tree.
Audubon Swamp Garden, Charleston County, SC. This used to be a rice
plantation. Animals: Anhingas,
Great Egrets, Little Blue Herons, White Ibises, Blue-winged Teals
(pictured), Green
Anoles, Common Moorhens, Swamp Sparrow, Yellowbelly Sliders, and
American Alligators. The latter two species coexist peacefully to
a surprising degree. Visit their website .
Mason Farm Biological Reserve (of the North Carolina Botanical Garden), Orange County, NC:
This former farm is used by the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill for biological research purposes. There are extensive brushy
areas and a swamp called Siler's Bog. Animals:
Gray Treefrogs, Green Treefrogs,
Hackberry Emperors, Orange Sulphurs, Sleepy Oranges, Appalachian Browns,
Least Skippers, a Phaon Crescent, Star-bellied Spiders, Micrathena mitrata spiders,
a
jumping spider with a red abdomen, many damselflies and
Tiger Beetles. Pictured: a Jack-in-the-pulpit.
:North
Carolina Botanical Garden, Orange County, NC: This
includes a nature trail through the woods as well as both cultivated
gardens and areas designed to resemble coastal and mountain habitats. Animals:
Eastern Comma, Black Rat Snake, Bullfrog, Green Frog, Acanaloniid
Planthopper Nymph, Orange Sulphurs, Gray Hairstreaks, Cedar Waxwings,
Cloudless Sulphurs, Pearl Crescents, American Ladies, Fiery Skippers,
and a few dragonflies. Pictured: Jack-in-the-Pulpit berries.
Go to their website
Craggy Mountain, off the Blue
Ridge Parkway, Macon County, NC. This approx. 5500-feet tall
mountain is covered mainly with Angelica on top (where Craggy Gardens is
located), with some mountain phlox and blueberry bushes, but its wooded
sides have the really interesting fauna, such as Common Scorpionflies
and the pictured leafhopper (Evacanthus ustanucha, subfamily Cicadellinae
[Hamilton, 1986]), which has been sighted only on two other Blue
Ridge mountains.
Little Scaly Mountain, Macon County,
NC: Animals: A Sleepy Orange, a Beelike Tachinid Fly, and a
Fruit Fly (Tephritidae family).
Little Scaly Mountain is
located near the Georgia border and has an elevation of about 4100 feet.
Pictured: Indian Pipes flower.
Puerto Rico:Isla Verde (a
San Juan district) and nearby rural areas: Mystery skippers, Great
Southern Whites, a land-based hermit crab, snails with striped shells,
anoles, Antillean Grackles. Mayaguëz: Puerto Zoo animals. Ponce: many Monarch
caterpillars on supersized milkweed plants. Pictured:
a rainbow over the Atlantic Ocean (looking northwards from Isla Verde).
Ocracoke Island, Hyde County, NC: Most
of this island is protected by the federal government and is
undeveloped.
Animals: Red Admirals, Salt Marsh Skippers, Little Wood Satyrs, Argus
Tortoise Beetle, a Stilt-legged Fly, Ghost Crabs, a Black-crowned Night
Heron, Tricolored Herons, Cattle Egrets, Royal Terns, an American Coot,
a Spotted Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, a Great Crested Flycatcher, a
European Starling, Brackish-water Fiddler Crabs, American Oystercatchers, Ruddy
Turnstones, a Greylag Goose/Canada Goose couple and their offspring, and
a Juniper Hairstreak. Pictured: Prickly Pears and a Scallop shell.
J.C. Raulston Arboretum at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC:
This is a horticultural garden, with
many new species patented by NCSU faculty. Butterflies:
Green Frog, Great Spangled
Fritillary, Variegated Fritillary, Checkered White, American Snout, Black Swallowtail.
Pictured: Saucer Magnolia.
Carolina Beach State Park, New
Hanover County, NC: With its long-leaf pine-dominated white sand
landscape, containing a water lily pond and several other less permanent
ponds, it has few animals, but a relatively large proportion are local
to this area. Animals include the Cicindela gratiosa Tiger Beetle,
Golden Silk Spiders, the Southern Bee Killer (an unusual type of Robber Fly), the Carolina Saddlebags
dragonfly,
the Little Blue Dragonlet, Wharf Crabs, Cedar Waxwings, American Snout
Butterflies and common species
such as Cloudless Sulphurs, Common Buckeyes, Monarchs, and the
occasional Eastern Tailed Blue and Sleepy Orange. Pictured: Venus
Fly Trap. Go to
their website.
Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, New Hanover County, NC: One
of the few subtropical areas in North Carolina. The Basin Trail
goes through a large marsh and ends up at the Cape Fear River. Animals:
Queen (relative of the Monarch butterfly), Greater Yellowlegs, American Oystercatchers, Common Buckeyes, Needham's
Skimmer (pictured).
White Pines Nature Preserve, Chatham County, NC (Triangle Land Conservancy):
Of all the places I've been, the one with the most unidentifiable
species! Among the few I was able to recognize without a
major struggle was the Henry's Elfin. Those shown on other pages which we identified
include a Velvet Ant (Dasymutilla genus) and a Yellow-throated Warbler. Pictured is a large group of trilliums.
See my White Pines Nature
Preserve page.
Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, Dare County, NC: Animals: Copperhead Snake
(pictured), Bullfrog, Ground Skink, Autumn Meadowhawk, Palatka Skippers, Least Skipper, Palamedes Swallowtails.
