Learn About | Greg Dodge's Journal
Take a walk on the wild side and read Museum Ranger Greg Dodge's Journal!
Every day in and all around Explore the Wild and Catch the Wind nature is alive, thriving and changing. But many visitors do not see the details of this lively natural world they have stepped into. Museum Ranger Greg Dodge's Journal is full of fascinating observations and insights that provide a detailed guide to the Museum's plants, animals and bugs.
Greg Dodge is a professional naturalist as well as a writer, videographer and producer of natural history DVDs. His images have been used in various TV productions, museum displays, and corporate videos. Above all, he has a fascination and passion for all things natural.
| Greg Dodge Journal Archives (click on date range to view previous journals) |
|||||
| May 1-15 |
June 1-15 | July 1-15 | Aug 1-15 | Sept 1-15 | Oct 1-15 |
| May 16-31 | June 16-30 | July 16-31 | Aug 16-31 | Sept 16-30 | Oct 16-30 |
Greg Dodge Journal, September 16-30 |
|
|
|
There’s always something happening on the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop. The activity has been especially brisk the past few weeks as various creatures from insects to birds make preparations for the changing season. Whether it’s insect larvae trekking off to pupate, birds winging through on their way south, or Groundhogs fattening up for winter, there’s plenty to see out on the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop. The weeks to come should be just as exciting. Don’t miss it! Flora Mistflower has been blooming for several weeks. One specimen is on the right side of the path between the main entrances to Explore the Wild and Catch the Wind. Horsemint has also been showing off its purple-spotted, yellow flowers for some time. It’s perhaps easiest to spot on the right side of the path as you leave Catch the Wind on the back side of the Loop.
Insects Despite a general decrease in dragonfly activity, several dragonflies are still being seen in small numbers including Common Green Darner, Black Saddlebags and Wandering Glider. All three of these dragonfly species are known to move with the seasons. With the winds out of the north, mostly northeast for a good part of the period, I’m inclined to think that the individuals that are being seen are indeed migrants. Not on the move but still fairly common are Blue Dashers. So far this year I’ve tallied 25 species of dragonfly. I expect that number to increase by at least one before the fall ends. Meadowhawks are late season fliers and I suspect that there will be a few Autumn Meadowhawks about in October and November. Stay tuned. For three consecutive days during the third week of September I observed a Carolina Mantis perched amongst the bright yellow flowers of Goldenrod growing alongside the Wetlands. At some point each day the mantis held a Bumble Bee tightly in its grip, chewing away on the unfortunate bee. Goldenrod is a good place to look for mantids at this time of year as the flowers are visited by many insects, which is what a mantis eats. The Carolina Mantis is the native mantis in our area. The rather large (up to 4”) Chinese Mantis that most folks are familiar with was introduced to help control insect pest species. Of course, Chinese Mantids will snatch up anything that comes within reach: pest insects, beneficial insects, even hummingbirds. The Carolina Mantis only gets to about 2.5” in length and can be either mottled gray or green like the one in the image at left (munching on a bee, of course). Orthoptera species, that is, grasshoppers, katydids, and crickets, are abundant. Grasshoppers of various species can be seen on the paved path, in the grass along the path, and on the various inanimate objects around the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop. I’ve seen adult Red-headed Meadow Katydids (photo at left) on the tall grass lining the paved path around the Loop as well as many nymphs of that and other katydid species. Pass your hand or your foot over the clover or mowed grass along the path and you’re likely to see crickets of various sizes scatter. I picked up a beetle near the vending machines in Catch the Wind. It was a longhorned beetle although I didn’t know the species; wasn’t even sure of the family in which it belonged. I got a clue when I placed the beetle on an oak leaf with the twig still attached in order to videotape the still unknown insect (images at left) . The beetle soon crawled off of the leaf and onto the twig. It began to girdle the twig. Thanks to Michael C. Thomas and BugGuide.Net, I discovered that the beetle is a twig girdler Oncideres cingulata. These beetles lay eggs under the bark of a twig. They then girdle the twig which dries and falls to the ground, the larva developing inside the twig on the ground. While walking the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop I came upon a very strange looking creature ambling across the paved surface of the path. It appeared to be some kind of larva, a beetle larva, either a soldier beetle or perhaps a firefly (Lightning Bug). What first struck me about the insect was its tiny head which could extend and retract much like a turtle's. Another odd thing was that it used the tip of its abdomen as a kind of 7th leg in moving along the path. Thanks again to BugGuide.Net. This insect appears to be a firefly larva, Photinus pyralis, a common species in our area (photos at left). Several Two-lined Spittlebugs (adults) were observed at the Wetlands Overlook near the Lemur House. The nymphs of this attractive insect are the critters that form masses of “spit” on vegetation to hide in while they mature during the summer. Cloudless Sulphurs continue to fly through to the south. In fact, I’ve seen more of their caterpillars on the Partridge Pea around the Loop (see Cloudless Sulphur Caterpillars, Explore the Wild Journal, September 1-15, 2008). The most consistently seen butterflies have been Eastern-tailed Blue and Pearl Crescent. A Red-banded Hairstreak was seen on Goldenrod next to the Wetlands. Gray Hairstreak, Monarch, Viceroy, Hackberry Emperor, and Fiery Skipper and other skippers were also seen. Caterpillars. Besides the Cloudless Sulphur larvae mentioned above, the list of caterpillars seen munching on leaves and crawling around the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop continues to grow. More Red-humped Caterpillars were seen on Redbud (see Red-humped Caterpillars, Explore the Wild Journal, July 16-31 & August 1-15, 2008). A Contracted Datana was seen hiking across the paved path as was a Sycamore Tussock Moth larva. And finally, a Pine Sphinx. Pine Sphinx larvae are in the same group of caterpillars as the familiar Tobacco and Tomato Hornworms (Carolina Sphinx and Five-spotted Sphinx respectively). Unlike the other two sphinx caterpillars, Pine Sphinx larvae don’t have a horn on their rear ends. They’re not quite as robust or as long either, about 2 inches in length. And, again unlike the other two sphinx larvae, they wear longitudinal stripes along their sides, which seems more appropriate attire for life in the pines (image at left). After the rains of the 24th & 25th I came upon a large wasp (about 35 mm) in a small pool of water. It was clinging to a cluster of pine needles in an attempt to climb out of the water and get airborne. It was a horntail. As best as I can determine it’s a Pigeon Horntail (Tremex columba), also called Pigeon Tremex (images at left). The intimidating looking projection on the horntail in the photo at left (arrow in image) is a sheath that houses an ovipositor. These insects drill through the bark of a dead or dying tree and deposit an egg into the wood. A fungus is also injected into the wood which softens the wood, allowing the larva that hatches from the egg easy going as it tunnels through the wood. These insects don’t sting.
Reptiles and Amphibians A Ground Skink’s presence is most often betrayed by a rustle in the leaves as the unseen lizard scurries away, leaving the passerby scratching his or her head wondering what made the noise. The skink in the photo on the left was basking in the sun. It must have been enjoying itself too much to give way to the big bipedal intruder clomping down the path, me. As you can see, I was able to get a photo of it before it finally had its fill of me gawking at it and hightailed it into the grass. They can move swiftly. A young, and very small, Narrow-mouthed Toad was seen hopping across the paved path in front of the Ornithopter on the 17th of the month. It was the first of this species that I’d ever seen. Adult Narrow-mouthed Toads only get to be about 1”-1.5” in length (see Explore the Wild Journal, June 1-15, 2008). This individual was so small it could sit on a dime without covering FDR’s head. On September 20 there was a newly hatched Yellow-bellied Turtle in the Wetlands. Apparently, not all of the eggs laid by the adults earlier in the season had been dug up by Raccoons (see Explore the Wild Journal, June 1-15, 2008). I only saw one of these little turtles, but there has to be more; Yellow-bellied Turtles lay about ten eggs per nest. Keep a sharp eye out for them in the Wetlands. Following the heavy rains during the fourth week of the month, the turtles in the Wetlands were out in force soaking up the sun on every available perch. An Eastern Musk Turtle (Stinkpot) even joined in the fun, climbing out onto the trunk of a Willow in the Wetlands (see Eastern Musk Turtle, Explore the Wild Journal, August 1-15, 2008).
Birds A female Wood Duck was in the Wetlands on the 21st of September. Traditionally, the third week in September sees a push of migrating hawks through the region when the winds are from the north. More often than not, the winds were from the north during the third and fourth weeks in September. Unfortunately for those of us who like to watch hawks and also reside in the piedmont, most migrating hawks move along the ridges in the western part of the Carolinas. On 20 September, one observation site in the mountains saw over 3,000 hawks pass by on their way south with another 6,000 or so the following day, most of those being Broad-winged Hawks. Here at the Museum the numbers were not quite as impressive. However, three Bald Eagles were observed during the period. An adult and a sub-adult were seen soaring overhead, slowly moving in a westerly direction on the 19th of September. Another adult Bald Eagle was seen in a glide to the southwest on 24 September. Besides the eagles, a Sharp-shinned Hawk, a Red-tailed Hawk and several Red-shouldered Hawks (our local Red-shouldereds) were seen on the 19th of September. The eagle in the image at left is not one of the birds that flew over, but it’s a good illustration of what a sub-adult Bald Eagle looks like. I’ve not seen a Green Heron in the Wetlands since the first two weeks of September. Have they moved on? A Great Blue Heron is still making frequent visits to the area. Chimney Swifts continue to forage above the Wetlands. They’re often quite high so you have to strain a bit to see them, or you can use binoculars (recommended, but not required, for wildlife observation on the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop). I saw three Ruby-throated Hummingbirds during the period. Neither was at the feeders in Catch the Wind. I think that they were migrants. The local Belted Kingfisher is showing up in the Wetlands daily and staying longer. Its visits had been sporadic during the summer, but now she seems to be settling in for the duration. A handful of Northern Flickers and a Red-headed Woodpecker were seen on the 24th of September. Twenty or so Fish Crows were observed flying off to the west on 18 September. Two House Wrens were seen during the period, flitting about in the underbrush that lines the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop. These birds were probably locals, one was a juvenile. Several White-eyed Vireos were seen on September 24th & 28th as were a Magnolia Warbler, American Redstart, and Common Yellowthroat, with a Wilson’s Warbler making an appearance on the 28th of the month only. Also seen on the 24th were a Rose-breasted Grosbeak and a Scarlet Tanager.
Mammals Groundhogs are being seen with more frequency at the Bird Feeder Exhibit in Catch the Wind and along the grassy edges of the paved path around the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop. I saw one at the Bird Feeder Exhibit eating an apple (Granny Smith, I think).
Thanks to the Museum Staff and Guests who have pointed out their sightings to me or who have shared their experiences with me out on the Explore the Wild and Catch the Wind Loop. As always, if you see me out there, stop and ask what’s new, or let me know what you’ve seen.
Have a good one,
Greg
|
