A Random Nature Walk in Early Summer Along the Haw River, NC

There is much to see during a nature walk along the Haw River in middle to late June and early July. River flow and depth of course vary with rainfall but the river is highly “flashy” and rapidly returns to a base flow below 3 feet when the rain stops. Our ancient aboriginal fish weir is quite obvious at such low flows and the planning and work involved in building this clever fish trapping device are quite impressive. This fish trap was likely mainly designed to catch large numbers of seasonally migratory fish such as shad. But there would also have been an abundance of resident fish to catch. Probably turtles would have been on the menu; the river cooter is commonly seen even today basking on rocks. This allows the turtle to increase its body temperature to facilitate food digestion and to dry out its skin to decrease the growth of parasites. At high flows I see these turtles drifting downstream so it appears that the local population may vary constantly due to immigration and emigration. But a study of marked turtles would be necessary to confirm this. I have not had the opportunity to sample aquatic insects in the river but this recently emerged mayfly adult appeared on our window screen. Mayflies have a long aquatic larval phase but a very short non-feeding adult life which only involves reproduction. In my hikes along the river I am constantly amazed by some of the very large trees which have persisted right on the river bank. This huge American elm is one of my favorites and it indicates that the high (about 20 feet ) riverside bank has been stable for the life of this magnificent tree- perhaps 80-100 years. Maybe great floods were more plentiful prior to arrival of European settlers in the mid-1700’s.

One of my favorite flowers in partially sunny upland openings this time of year is the Carolina wild petunia Ruellia caroliniensis. It is basically a beautiful “weed” and is a food plant for buckeye butterfly caterpillars and very attractive to bumblebees (see photo of foraging bumblebee). Bumblebees are especially attracted to blue flowers and this one has a corolla tube broad enough for its mouth parts. A very different plant in full sun is the common milkweed Asclepias syriaca which attracts many insects, not just monarchs which are mainly seen in the Fall. This plant has a tiger swallowtail and a bumblebee feeding together. A very different obligate wetland plant which grows in full shade is the lizard’s tail Saururus cernuus; it has a long history of medicinal use by Native Americans. One of the most common plants seen in open fields is the Queen Anne’s lace, Daucus carota, the non-native wild form of the domesticated carrot. It is quite attractive to insects- here we can see some Japanese beetles mating in the flower head- a very damaging non-native insect.

One of the common insects seen is the leaf footed bug- a true bug (Hemipteran) with sucking not chewing mouth parts. The purpose of the strange extensions of the hind legs is not understood. These large bugs can damage some crops when they pierce fruits with their mouth parts. Among the many butterflies present this time of year is the spectacular red admiral, seen here basking on a quartz rock to raise its body temperature. Larvae feed most often on stinging nettles and the adults migrate long distances and are globally distributed. One of the least appreciated butterflies is the common but tiny eastern tailed blue whose caterpillars feed on legumes. It is famous for its “two heads.” There is a fake head with a red spot and fake antennae on the posterior of the hind wings which is designed to direct the strikes of predators such as jumping spiders and birds away from the most crucial body areas. You will notice many butterflies such as swallowtails also have such posterior wing extensions to fool predatory birds.

In the process of managing our 48 acre wildlife preserve we inevitably encounter conflicts when some mammalian herbivores eat plants we want to protect. While deer are the worst problem, I also have encountered issues with rabbits and ground hogs. In our present location without a typical food garden, cottontail rabbits have not been a problem to my surprise; they feed mainly on “weeds” and have left my plantings alone. This is not the case for groundhogs which have eaten some plantings but more importantly dig numerous burrows under our barn. One solution is to capture and remove them to another location- as seen here. This translocation is illegal in many states but I favor it in some cases where shooting is inappropriate. You may argue that all wildlife should be allowed to live their lives without persecution but this is simply not possible in the real world where you are protecting some plants which can be severely damaged by “pest” animals. I do protect all our snakes and have not had to deal with any poisonous species yet. Our extensive “lawn” or “weedscape” is cut quite high (about 5 inches) and infrequently and harbors a thriving population of small snakes such as this brown or DeKay’s snake but also ring necked, worm and red bellied snakes. Box turtles also forage there on fruits. The call by some modern day “yard ecologists” to remove the “lawn” is in my opinion quite foolish and impractical. If a “lawn” is not fertilized or treated with chemicals and cut at a high level it will consist of numerous mostly non-grass species of both native and non-native origin very attractive to wildlife. It is a far more practical way to manage open space for wildlife than mulched areas that require a massive amount of weeding or spraying with herbicides.

Two birds I saw recently were of note. A dark eyed junco (see photo) appeared at our water bath and is shown just emerging from the water. This is a common species in winter but is very rarely seen in summer when these birds have migrated to higher altitudes and latitudes. A common local breeder the, summer tanager, is heard constantly in our yard but almost never seen despite the bright red coloration of the male (kept year long unlike the male scarlet tanager which loses its red plumage in winter). This particular male summer tanager gives its picky tuck call often just next to our bedroom and for some reason came out of hiding and watched me for 10 minutes one morning. It is instructive to observe how difficult it is to see this bird despite its bright plumage whose only purpose must be to demonstrate his virility and capture the heart of a female and convince her to be his mate.

Every season has its beauties but summer is the time for many species to breed. So listen and watch for breeding animals of all kinds during this time for LOVE in the animal world and flowering and fruiting in the plant world. It is a wonderful demonstration of the amazing biodiversity of life and how so much has persisted despite all the damage caused by “civilization.”