Roads End Naturalist

Exploring the natural world as we wander at the end of the road

  • While She Was Away…

    Take time to do what makes your soul happy.

    ~Unknown author

    I suppose I really don’t have to worry about this particular quote. I think I do a pretty good job of taking the time to do the things I enjoy. With Melissa leading a museum winter workshop in Yellowstone, I decided to get out and see a few wild things myself. By the way, if you haven’t followed her trip on the museum’s website, check it out at this link. It sounds like it has been one of the best trips ever (and certainly the coldest!).

    So, last week I headed east for an overnight trip to visit four of our wildlife refuges – Pocosin Lakes, Mattamuskeet, Alligator River, and Pea Island. I first stopped by to chat with my friend, Wendy Stanton, refuge manager for Pocosin Lakes. We had a good conversation about visitor issues, closures, volunteer needs, and future plans. I also met two wonderful education/refuge staff that are being funded through the NC Wildlife Federation. They are providing programming at the refuge and the Red Wolf Center in Columbia, helping to manage volunteers, providing outreach programming in schools, and many other duties. It sounds like they have been a great addition to the limited staff at the refuge. After the meeting, I headed down to Alligator River NWR in hopes of seeing some bears, wolves, and birds. It turned out to be a very quiet wildlife day – lots of birds, but no mammals.

    -A backlit adult Bald Eagle perched along Wildlife Drive at Alligator River NWR (click photos to enlarge)
    -The day ended with a spectacular sunset at the refuge

    I spent the night in Kill Devil Hills and was out before sunrise, headed to Pea Island. After passing an American Bittern out along Hwy 12 at at the edge of a marsh (no room to safely stop), I stopped at the parking lot on the south end of the Oregon Inlet Bridge to see if there was anything happening there. A few dolphins were fishing the shallows and some Sanderlings were chasing each other around the exposed sandy beach, often coming within a few feet of where I stood.

    -A Sanderling takes a short pause in its usual frantic pace to probe the sand in a puddle
    -A Willet posing in beautiful morning light

    Driving down to the Pea Island Visitor Center, i was surprised to see relatively few birds on North Pond, but I hung out for a bit and managed a couple of captures.

    -Pied-billed Grebe at Pea island NWR
    -A Great Egret flies by just after sunrise
    -A juvenile Bald Eagle flies directly overhead

    I asked at the Visitor C=enter where I might see the huge flock of Redhead ducks and the Snow Buntings I had seen on social media posts recently. The ducks were no problem they told me but they had no idea where I could find the buntings. So, off I went and soon saw a solid raft of ducks not far off the highway. The flock stretched for a hundred yards or so and was so densely packed I couldn’t see how any others could land in there, but some still managed. It was amazing seeing such a large concentration of birds.

    -A small portion of the huge flock of Redhead ducks at Pea Island NWR

    I soon headed to Alligator River for one more pass through the refuge to see what I could see before heading in the direction of home. I scanned the large flocks of waterfowl in the flooded fields near the road and enjoyed some time with a flock of both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs (I feel sorry for the ones named “Lesser”). One of the birds grabbed what looked like a huge grub and scurried off to gulp it down before others nearby could steal it.

    -A Greater Yellowlegs in the marsh at Alligator River NWR

    While I was watching the shorebirds, a Downy Woodpecker flew into a nearby sapling and began hammering away. I didn’t pay it much attention at first assuming it was looking for bugs in a dead branch. But then I looked with my binoculars and saw it was on a mantid egg case. I’ve seen the results of this feeding behavior many times but never had managed a photo of it, so I spent a few minutes watching and taking pics. After it finished with this one, the hungry bird moved to a nearby branch and started working on another egg case. If you zoom in on the bird’s beak, you can see a mantid baby stuck to the woodpecker’s maxilla (upper beak)

    A Downy Woodpecker tearing into a Carolina Mantid egg case
    -Part of a huge flock of Pintails at Alligator River NWR

    On the way home, I stopped at Mattamuskeet and the Pungo Unit without seeing too much other wildlife. I did see the Snow Geese finally leave Pungo Lake, but they flew off the refuge to the west. I also saw some more folks behind the closed area signs. I spoke with one group asking them to come back, but they ignored me. It is a tough balancing act to manage for the welfare of the wildlife and to allow people to experience the grandeur of the animals so that they will care for the birds and the place.

    Two days after that coast trip, I joined a group of folks participating in the quarterly Jordan Lake eagle count. I wrote an article on the eagles that can be found at the B. Everett Jordan dam in winter for the upcoming February issue of Walter magazine. In my research, I contacted a ranger, Steve McMurray, about the eagles at Jordan Lake. He mentioned the quarterly count and invited me to join so, there I was, shivering a bit at 7 a.m., looking out over a vast expanse of the lake. We spotted 8 eagles in the allotted count time (1.5 hours) and I enjoyed meeting and talking with some fellow bird lovers. After the count, I drove over to the dam to see what was happening. When I walked down the trail along the tailrace, I counted 12 eagles on the opposite shoreline waiting their turn at a fish meal. A photographer walked down the opposite shore where all the eagles were perched and flushed the closest one. It flew across the channel and allowed me a few quick images before disappearing over the trees.

    -A fl-by of an adult Bald Eagle at B. Everett Jordan dam on Jordan Lake

    Two days later, at 5 a.m., I was driving back to Pungo with some good friends to enjoy some more wildlife watching. It was a slow morning but the lake was full of swans and their calls are one of the most beautiful natural sounds I know. After driving through the refuge, we hiked out to the Duck Pen Observation Blind. I had been out there recently and saw how the area around the blind had been damaged by bears and careless humans over the past couple of years. Even though vegetation has grown up around the blind, blocking much of the view, we had a nice look at some of the many Tundra Swans resting on the calm lake waters. The low angle light was really nice and we spent a lot of time looking and listening.

    -Some Tundra Swans from the Duck Pen blind on a calm afternoon at Pungo Lake
    -Swan synchrony

    After eating some lunch back at the road, we made a trip over to Mattamuskeet. A highlight was walking the boardwalk of the New Holland Trail that meanders through a picturesque cypress swamp.

    -A vertical pano of the swamp forest along the New Holland Trail boardwalk
    at Mattamuskeet NWR

    On our way out we stopped at the photo blind on the impoundment. This is really a nice little blind and the birds are pretty tolerant of your approach if you are quiet, move slowly, and use the surrounding trees as cover as you approach.

    –We stood in the photo blind at Mattamuskeet for a few minutes and took in the sights and sounds of the waterfowl of winter (best with sound up)

    Our plan was to return to Pungo in hopes of seeing birds in the field or some fly-overs and then head home. When we arrived, we saw plenty of swans but they were all headed off the refuge to the west to feed with few visible at close range on any of accessible impoundments. I saw a friend hiking along the road and, as we were talking, a huge flock of Snow Geese lifted off the lake and flew directly over us. This group was much larger than what we saw a couple of weeks ago on the bird count. We all stared skyward, mesmerized by the sounds and undulating waves of birds.

    –There is something magical when these huge flocks of waterfowl fly over your head (best with sound up)

    Just as the last of the flock appeared, we heard the distinctive calls of Sandhill Cranes! I had looked for them on the bird count and my trip last week but they were nowhere to be found. And, as we approached sundown, twenty two of these amazing birds flew into view, circling over the fields before landing in the impoundment behind the trees. This is the largest group of sandhills I have seen on the refuge.

    -At last, the Sandhill Cranes reveal themselves at Pungo! (with a portion of the flyover of thousands of Snow Geese above them)

    After that extraordinary experience, we drove down to “Bear Road” and peered down the now closed road. After several minutes, we finally saw the small bear that has been coming out most evenings to feed. To close the day, a large group of blackbirds was swirling in a cloud of wings on the horizon.

    -A murmuration of Red-winged Blackbirds at dusk

    I think we all left with a happy soul after a wonderful day on some of North Carolina’s public lands. Thank you to all the people working tirelessly to help make these places so special for the wildlife and all of us.

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

  • Counting Birds Again

    Christmas Bird Count data helps us better understand birds so we can better protect them!

    ~US Fish & Wildlife Service

    Here’s a quick report on our annual trip to Pungo for the Pettigrew Christmas Bird Count that was held last weekend. For a change, we had nice weather – chilly and windy, but sunny most of the day. The count circle is centered on Lake Phelps and Melissa and I cover the Pungo Unit of Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. We camped at Goose Creek State Park and were at Pungo around 6:30 a.m. as the sky was turning light. We headed straight for one of the flooded impoundments on the refuge to catch the sunrise and were surprised to see only a few swans on the water (this area usually has hundreds all winter). We were also hoping to see the Sandhill Cranes that had been reported from a week before, but no luck. The water levels were very high due to recent heavy rains and we wondered if that might be an issue but I later learned from refuge staff that there had been someone illegally hunting on the refuge in that spot the day before.

    It seems as though the increased visitation at this refuge since the pandemic has bought with it some bad visitor behavior and several areas of the refuge have restricted access, When we arrived at the observation platform we found the port-a-john lying on its side. We wondered if a bear or a lousy human had been the culprit.

    -Was this bear or human mischief? (click photos to enlarge)

    I later learned from staff that, unfortunately, it had been a human pushing it over with his truck (the person has not yet been caught). Surprisingly, it was in its proper position the next day when we returned (set up and cleaned by the company that supplies these I was told).

    In spite of my concerns about the issues facing the refuge, the wildlife was able to remind me of why I love this place so much. I didn’t take a lot of photos but here are a few highlights from our day in the field at Pungo.

    -Tundra Swans flying off the refuge to feed as the moon sets Saturday morning

    -Tundra Swans on Pungo Lake. The strong south wind had them piling up on the south shore where it was more protected.

    -A Turkey Vulture peers at me as I walked along “pishing” for birds in the thick roadside vegetation (making a repeated pish noise that imitates the alarm call of several songbirds – this often causes nearby birds to reveal themselves as they try to see what is going on).

    -We found some great tracks in the sandy and muddy soils along the roads – bear, otter, bobcat, raccoon, canid (red wolf or coyote), and plenty of deer tracks. This is a nice front paw print of a black bear

    -Although it is a bird count, I always stop to enjoy the other critters we come across (we saw three bears, one otter, and several deer). Melissa spotted this young black bear trotting toward us along one of the roads. I stopped the truck and it kept coming until, finally, it saw us and slowly turned around. Then another car came from the opposite direction and the little guy decided to head into the swamp. We watched as it swam across two open bodies of water and finally disappeared into the flooded forest.

    -While driving slowly along in the afternoon, I heard some chickadees calling (hearing aids are a wonderful thing). We stopped and got out as they were feeding on the seeds of Sweet Gum (as were some Red-winged and a few Rusty Blackbirds). There are one or two small seeds in every hole in a Sweet Gum ball and several species of birds utilize these as a winter food source. I have always wanted a photo of this behavior so we started following these busy birds around as they flitted from branch to branch extracting seeds and picking at them to eat. You can see a seed in this one’s beak.

    -They often grabbed a seed while hanging on one of the gum balls and then would fly to a nearby branch to feed on it.

    The wildlife highlight of the day was when Melissa spotted (yes, she spots more things now than I do) an American Bittern in a roadside canal. It was on her side of the vehicle (she claims this a rarity and that I always have the wildlife on my side to photograph:). She took lots of photos and several video clips as it patiently made its way along the shoreline.

    –An American Bittern slowly moves into position for a strike (video by Melissa Dowland)

    – Finally, the bittern flew to a closer side of the canal and started walking across the road where I managed this pic.

    -It disappeared into the tall grass and then came back out, looking much like the dried vegetation that surrounded it. These birds are simply beautiful, and those eyes!!

    All in all, a wonderful day. Here are our results for the Pungo Unit portion of the count as reported on eBird:

    2500 Snow Goose — This is actually few snow geese for this count! There was one flock on Pungo Lake.
    100 Canada Goose
    10000 Tundra Swan — This is typical to low for this location at this count.
    80 Wood Duck
    20 Northern Shoveler
    212 Gadwall — Large mixed flock on the Pungo Lake with scope
    803 American Wigeon — Large mixed flock on Pungo Lake
    25 Mallard
    21 American Black Duck
    840 Northern Pintail — Large mixed flock on Pungo Lake
    1520 Green-winged Teal — Large flock on Pungo Lake both sitting and then in flight.
    2 Bufflehead
    12 Hooded Merganser
    1 Pied-billed Grebe
    73 Mourning Dove
    65 Killdeer
    3 Bonaparte’s Gull
    500 Ring-billed Gull
    1 Double-crested Cormorant
    1 American Bittern
    3 Great Blue Heron
    25 Turkey Vulture
    9 Northern Harrier
    1 Cooper’s Hawk
    6 Bald Eagle
    2 Great Horned Owl
    3 Red-bellied Woodpecker
    2 Downy Woodpecker
    5 Northern Flicker
    1 American Kestrel
    5 Eastern Phoebe
    1 Blue-headed Vireo
    9 Blue Jay
    8 American Crow
    3 Carolina Chickadee
    3 Tufted Titmouse
    4 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
    3 Golden-crowned Kinglet
    1 Winter Wren
    4 Carolina Wren
    12 European Starling
    1 Brown Thrasher
    1 Northern Mockingbird
    252 American Robin
    20 American Pipit
    50 White-throated Sparrow
    4 Savannah Sparrow
    43 Song Sparrow
    60 Swamp Sparrow
    8 Eastern Towhee
    19 Eastern Meadowlark
    1600 Red-winged Blackbird
    1 Brown-headed Cowbird
    2 Rusty Blackbird
    20 Common Grackle
    20 Yellow-rumped Warbler
    3 Northern Cardinal

    Total number of species – 57.

    Results for the entire count circle included a total of 106 species, which is about average for this count.

    I’ll get back to blogging about our Africa trip next time.

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

  • South Africa – Days 1-4

    Custos Naturae – Guardian of Nature

    ~The slogan formerly found on the logo of Kruger National Park, South Africa

    Last summer, a friend and former coworker, Andrew Torlage, asked me out for a beer to discuss an idea. Andrew was born in South Africa and moved to North Carolina less than a decade ago. He is starting a tour company (named Vakasha – which means to visit) where he hopes to share the beauty of his homeland with others. He was asking for some feedback on his plans and some assistance with getting together the inaugural group. Though not on my bucket list of places to travel anytime soon, Melissa and I jumped at the chance. So, in November, we headed to Johannesburg with a group of eight plus Andrew. The trip was sensational, full of natural beauty, extraordinary wildlife, cultural highlights, laughter with friends, and good food (and wine!). I’m going to put together a few of the many, many highlights in the next blog or two. It was truly quite a trip!

    We flew on Delta in what is their longest flight (and the 13th longest flight of any commercial airline) – approximately 16 hours from Atlanta to Johannesburg. We stayed in a beautiful Airbnb in J’burg a full day and a half before meeting up with Andrew, our guide. The people, the city, the power of visiting Soweto and learning more about the incredible Nelson Mandela, made for an amazing beginning to our trip.

    -A Gray Go-Away-Bird. It’s common name is based on its unusual call – a nasal “gwaay”. These were common at our Airbnb in Johannesburg

    -Andrew picked us up in our transportation for the next several days and we were off

    After getting ourselves and our gear into the van and trailer, we headed to Kruger National Park, our home for the next 4 days. We proved our nature nerdiness to everyone right away when we stopped at the entrance gate and discovered a dung beetle doing its thing. With screams of delight we gathered everyone around to witness the spectacle.

    –A dung beetle rolling along with a ball of poo. The balls of dung are used for food, brood, and mood (nuptial dung). There are almost 800 species of dung beetles in southern Africa (that’s a lot pf poo on the move)

    -Perhaps the most common prey animal for several of the park’s larger predators is the Impala (this one is a buck). Andrew told us the locals called this the “McDonald’s of the bush” due to the M-shape they all have on their rear and the fact they are on the menu of so many other animals. We preferred the “M&M animal” because when you saw one, you saw several.

    -A Southern Ground Hornbill, the largest of the hornbills. This is a species of concern in Kruger, but we were lucky enough to see several.

    -I’m used to bear jams in Yellowstone, but this is the scene at a Leopard jam in Kruger. You are not allowed to get out of a vehicle in Kruger so people jockey for position in their cars or safari vehicles. My position in our van did not allow me a pic without a stick blocking part of the animal’s face. But, that wasn’t the last one we saw that day…

    -On our afternoon game drive with a ranger, we came across another traffic jam. An adjacent car said there was a Leopard lying in the grass next to the road. After several minutes of staring and moving around a bit in the safari vehicle (a large open bus) a woman next to me spotted it (this is all we could see). It amazed all of us that it was so hidden and only about 20 feet from us.

    -Driving back toward our camp, we came across another Leopard (probably the same one we had seen earlier that had now moved across the road). Leopards are solitary animals and are expert stalkers. They use the element of surprise and their power to overcome prey. They spend the hotter parts of most days resting.

    -We spent several minutes with this beautiful animal and it finally turned its face toward us for a few seconds, allowing this nice portrait. Leopards often carry their prey up a tree trunk and feast in relative safety from other predators such as Lions and Hyenas.

    -While watching the Leopard, we spotted this Magpie Shrike perched in a nearby shrub. We saw several species of African birds that have extremely long tails. This may be an adaptation to mate choice (aerial displays) and/or the ability to perform abrupt maneuvers in flight for foraging.

    -A bit later that day we drove back by the spot where the Leopard had been hiding in the grass and it was up and moving. It slowly began stalking a large herd of Impala on the other side of the road. The vehicles in the traffic jam gave cover to the approaching Leopard and we all braced for an exciting predator-prey moment. But as the big cat tried to cross the road, there were just too many people and cars and it apparently gave up the hunt and moved off the road and sat down.

    -Each of the major camps in Kruger are surrounded by an electric fence and electrified cattle guard with a gate manned by a ranger to keep out the potentially dangerous animals like Leopards, Elephants, and Lions.

    -A personal highlight was seeing the Giraffes. What amazing adaptations! They are the tallest land mammal on Earth with big males coming in at over 15 feet at the shoulder and able to reach leaves a full 24 feet above the ground. They can also tilt their heads vertically due to special bone articulations at the base of the skull and that, along with their height and long tongues (up to 18 inches) gives them extra reach for their feeding.

    -You can identify males from females from a distance by looking at their “horns” (more accurately called ossicones). Male horns are usually bare at the tips from their head/neck butting for mating rights, whereas female horns have tufts of dark hair. I believe this one is a male.

    -We soon saw a small herd of Elephants alongside the road. it was a mixed-age group including a few very young ones. More on these magnificent creatures in the next post.

    -We visited a hide (we call the blinds) on a watering hole mid-day and saw a herd of impala and some birds. Suddenly, two huge White Rhinos ambled into view and the rest of the wildlife gave them a wide berth. Due to excessive poaching in recent years, park managers dart every rhinoceros in the park and cut off their horns, which are highly valued on the black market. I must admit to being saddened to not see the diagnostic horn but thankful if it helps keep these giant beasts alive. The horn continues to grow throughout the animals’ life so rangers must cut off the horns again every few years. The record length for a White Rhino horn was 5.1 feet! White Rhinos are the second largest land mammal on Earth (big males can weigh over 5000 pounds) and are part of the so-called “Big 5” of Africa (much sought-after by tourists ) – Elephants, Rhinos, Cape Buffalo, Lions, and Leopards. And we were lucky to observe all five on this trip!

    -A diminutive Steenbok (standing only 20 inches at the shoulder) is one of the smallest antelope. The name is derived from the Afrikaans word, steen, which means brick – because of its color).

    -Lions are Africa’s largest land carnivore (big males are between 400 and 500 pounds). They hunt cooperatively and can take down large prey from Giraffes to Cape Buffalo and Zebra (even Elephants). They spend much of their day resting as this group of 3 (one off-camera) was doing, sleeping right in the road. The rangers knew that this group had recently taken down a Cape Buffalo and were feeling well fed.

    -A Lion wakes up as our big open safari van passes. I imagined it was thinking, “you know I could jump up there and take you guys if I wanted”. Hence the reason for not getting out of your vehicle in Kruger!

    -On our way back to camp we stopped for a second to look at some wildlife and when it came time to crank up the safari van again, there was nothing. Turns out the very bumpy road had caused something to become disconnected in the wiring and it took some time to figure out the problem and get it fixed. We all cheered as the engine cranked (a lot of the predators were starting their nightly hunt) and we finally headed back. Along the way we enjoyed a spectacular Kruger sunset. The next post will highlight the remaining two days in Kruger and travel to our next destination.

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

  • Trying to Understand Our Wild Neighbors

    We do not see nature with our eyes, but with our understandings and our hearts.

    ~William Hazlitt

    And in some cases, we see nature with our trail cameras…

    This season seems to have fewer large buck deer than I have seen the past few years, but recently, a beautiful 8-pointer kindly walked in front of one of our cameras. A week before, the same buck was caught on camera (those videos are not included here) trailing a doe that had been filmed running on the same route two minutes before the buck appeared. And just yesterday, while I was changing out the camera cards, this same buck was closely following a doe through the forest. The rut continues and some of the ladies just don’t seem all that interested

    –A nice buck strolls through the field of view of one of our trail cameras

    The other hot spot for activity in recent weeks has been the ‘possum hole at the base of a fallen tree. I’ve had a camera on this spot for a year now and have seen all sorts of animals coming and going including several different opossums, raccoons, deer, gray and flying squirrels, chipmunks, and a few species of birds. Once again, an opossum has been gathering leaves in its tail and carrying them into the hole. The camera recorded this activity 4 times in the past month. Below is one of those scenes…

    –The opossum is getting ready for the cold weather by gathering leaves and carrying them into the hole using its tail as a tote bag

    A few days later, the camera recorded a raccoon stopping by the hole and peeking inside. Two hours after that, the camera saw a coyote at the entrance to the opossum den. When the coyote walks away, you can see that the hole entrance has been dug out a bit. I’m assuming this coyote did that, but it had to have been a very quick dig to not capture it on the video (there is a slight delay of just a second or two between the time the camera is triggered by motion and when it starts recording).

    –I assume this coyote did a quick dig at the entrance to the opossum den

    Five days later, a coyote visits the area 4 more times over a span of several minutes (here is the longest visit). The opossum has not been seen at the hole since the first coyote visit.

    –A coyote checks out the opossum den again a few days after the entrance was dug

    Cameras caught coyotes several more times in the past week (on one recording, two different coyotes pass by the camera in quick succession). Two nights ago, as we were lying in bed, we heard a cacophony of coyote yips very close to the back fence. So, yesterday, I changed out the camera cards again and was rewarded with three separate coyote videos, all at the same camera. The first was just of one trotting away from the camera at 7:11 a.m. At 7:45 a.m, the coyote below comes toward the camera carrying something.

    –A coyote carrying a mystery object as it trots by the camera

    We can’t quite tell what it has in its mouth even after cropping and slowing it down in the next video. Could it be part of a deer carcass? Let me know if you have any thoughts.

    –A slow motion clip showing the mystery object…still tough to tell

    Unfortunately, the time of day that this occurred is the toughest time for the camera’s resolution. Near dawn and sunset, the cameras I have tend to struggle a bit with clarity compared to scenes in full daylight or darkness.

    Nine minutes after the coyote trots by carrying what presumably is a hefty chunk of food, a second coyote wanders by the same camera, stops, and whimpers. Not sure what to make of that unless it is just feeling left out of a meal. I guess we can all relate when someone else at the table gets the last cookie.

    –This coyote seems a bit bummed it may miss out on dessert

    Looking forward to seeing what the cameras capture in the coming days.

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

  • Making Time

    The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.

    ~Sydney Harris

    You may have noticed a lack of posts on this blog the past month. We have been dealing with my mother’s declining health as well as plenty of long-scheduled things here at home. Traditionally, we take a trip somewhere for our birthdays which fall a week apart, but this year had other plans. After another visit to mom’s, I decided we needed a break for ourselves and scheduled a couple of days last week at one of our favorite mountain destinations, the Celo Inn, near Burnsville, NC. The weather was forecast to be perfect – cool and clear (though it turned out that was not the case every day).

    –The Celo Inn – one of our favorite places for respite in our mountains (click photos to enlarge)

    After a wonderful breakfast at the Inn, we headed to our friend’s place in Burnsville. They are restoring an old cabin that will soon be an idyllic mountain retreat. We had a great time talking and marveling at the work they have done and then headed for lunch and a hike. The weather was changing with clouds and cold air starting to dominate. But up to Carver’s Gap we drove for what turned out to be a very brisk hike on the open balds of the Roan Mountain trail.

    –Clouds and windy conditions dominated our hike through the balds

    –Fall colors were starting to peak at the higher elevations, but here it is mainly in the shrubs

    –Clouds moved in, clinging to the balds and spitting rain (and a little sleet) at us. We took shelter in a spruce grove for a bit during the heaviest rain.

    –The Mountain Ash berries are brilliantly colored and really stand out on a cloudy day

    –Goldenrod adds a splash of color to the bald. Most flowers had already gone to seed.

    –Not the weather we had expected, but a beautiful place nonetheless.

    –I like the message but I think someone pulled a photo off the internet (the source of all things accurate – not). I believe these are Sugar Gliders and definitely not one of our species of flying squirrels.

    –This was the goal – about 2+ miles out from the parking area – elevation 6169ft.

    –On our way back, the clouds started lifting and we even had a few shafts of sunlight in the distance (but not on us, unfortunately). So it was windy and COLD!!

    –We ate dinner at a rustic little place in Spruce Pine. Melissa got a cup of hot water (her usual thing for hot tea that she normally brings). She didn’t have her tea bags, but instead cuddled the warm cup and drank some hot water to warm herself…it was that cold!

    –The next morning was more favorable in terms of the weather. A view from the Parkway as we headed to the trailhead for Hawksbill.

    –Sort of amazing that neither of us had ever been up to Hawksbill. Definitely worth the hike!

    –A view of Table Rock from Hawksbill. This was our next hiking destination (another first for us).

    –Ruh Roh…as we started the drive to Table Rock, the tire pressure monitor told us something was amiss. A quick look showed this large screw embedded in the tire.

    The gravel road was narrow and steep so we decided to drive out rather than change the tire there. We luckily found a “garage” (actually a place that makes bear boxes) that had a compressor and could give us some air until we got to a tire place in Newland. They were efficient and got us out in about 20 minutes with a good patch. But now we had to alter our plans as we didn’t think we had time to drive back to Table Rock and hike the trail. We were close to Linville Falls so Melissa decided we should go there and hike the trail on the opposite side of the river from where most people go to view the falls. It was crowded, but we opted to hit the trail for the plunge basin overlook. Signage for the trail indicated it was strenuous…it wasn’t too bad as there were steps in the particularly steep parts.

    –View of Linville Falls from the plunge basin overlook

    We still had some time so someone I know wanted to hike the difficult trail down to the river below the falls. In spite of my knee issues, I agreed. We passed a young man hiking back and I asked what the trail was like. He paused and said it is almost vertical and tough, but worth it. Going down was slow as it is very rocky and steep (no steps on this trail), both things somewhat difficult for an old guy with a bum knee. But it was worth it – a truly different perspective on a feature I had seen many times before from a high overlook on the opposite side of the river.

    –A very different view from what I have experienced in the past of Linville Falls – from the river.

    It turns out, going back up the trail was much easier than coming down. We headed into Burnsville for another dinner with friends – a great end to a much needed escape to the mountains.

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

  • Gold in the Yard

    The responsibilities of life seem to rest lightly on the Goldfinch’s sunny shoulders.

    ~Roger Tory Peterson

    It’s been a very good year for the American Goldfinches in our yard. I haven’t put out thistle seeds this year but the goldfinches seem quite content with the sunflower seeds in the other feeders and, more recently, with the seed heads of various wildflowers scattered around our yard. In late July, they made regular visits to the few Blazing Star (Liatris sp.) plants near the front of the house. Those are planted near one of our water gardens and I have left a screen off of one window so I can open that window to photograph birds coming to the area. Here are a few images from their feeding forays.

    -A female American Goldfinch plucks a seed from a Liatris flower stalk while a male does the same in the background. Liatris spikes mature from the top to the bottom, unlike many other species of flower stalks which usually mature from the bottom up (click photos to enlarge)

    –A pair of goldfinches feasting on Liatris seeds (the clicking noises you might hear are from the camera’s autofocus)

    – American Goldfinches are almost exclusively seed eaters. They are one of our latest nesting songbirds with nesting activity usually starting as late as July or even August in our area

    –A female goldfinch pulling seeds from a Liatris flower

    -Male American Goldfinches are brilliant yellow and black in their breeding plumage in spring and summer. Winter birds of both sexes are similar, being a drab olive brown with blackish wings and pale wingbars.

    -The jet black wings, cap, and tail of a summer American Goldfinch helps make the bright yellow of its back and belly even more brilliant as it flies across the landscape

    –Goldfinches are well`adapted for their seed-eating lifestyle. They have strong, conical beaks for cracking seeds and their legs and feet are extremely strong and agile to aid in climbing on and clinging to plant stems as they forage.

    -Plus, they have attitude and great balance!

    –Another favorite seed type in our yard are those of the Purple Coneflowers

    -As the Purple Coneflowers matured, the birds switched their attention to these large seed heads. Almost every afternoon, around 5 o’clock, they descend on that section of the yard and start pulling at the seeds.

    -The birds now have a cornucopia of seed types to choose – Purple and Green-headed Coneflowers, Starry Rosinweed, New York Ironweed, and New York Aster, just to name a few.

    American Goldfinches are definitely one of the highlights of the bird life outside our windows. Their bright colors, cheery songs, and undulating flight are all another great reason to surround yourself with native wildflowers.

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

  • Moths and More

    So much detail goes unnoticed in the world.

    ~Barbara Kingsolver

    After our moth party last month during National Moth Week, we have put out the moth lights and sheet a few more times to see what new species we might attract to our deck here in the woods. It has been pretty productive and we have recorded many new species for my iNaturalist project where I am documenting all the species of invertebrates we see on our property (more on that in a future post). Here are some of the highlights from our moth nights this month (these species are different from the ones reported in my July post on National Moth Week). I have made identifications based on a variety of sources, including iNaturalist. As always, if you think I made an error, please drop me a note in the comments.

    I’m starting with a group of moths that I think would make great models for jackets for British university professors.

    -Tephra Tussock Moth – I particularly like the fuzzy leggings in this outfit. Adults do not feed; larvae are on oaks (click photos to enlarge)

    -Red-lined Panopoda Moth – nice stripes. Larvae on beech and oaks.

    -White Furcula Moth – a nice salt and pepper look with a hint of metallic blue and orange. Larvae often found on cherry.

    -White-blotched Prominent – nice greenish cast (and the accessory works with this outfit). Larvae feed on oaks.

    -Brown Panopda Moth – distinctive accent in this outfit (one reference described the dark wing marks as looking like a body-less person sitting in a chair). Larvae usually on hickory.

    -White-headed Prominent -love those striped socks. Larvae on oaks.

    -Orange-tufted Oneida Moth – described s having a “woodsy color scheme”. Larvae feed on oaks and oak galls apparently.

    -Oval-based Prominent – for the bold professor – nice shoulder patches. Larval food unknown

    -Wavy-lined Heterocampa – a nice greenish tint allows you to blend in with a moss-covered tree trunk on campus – larvae feed on a variety of hardwood trees.

    These next moths are a bit bolder in their fashion statements…

    -Deep Yellow Euchlaena Moth – a beautiful, yet mysterious moth. Larval food plants reportedly unknown.

    -Common Angle – dark, paw-print-looking marks on outer wings. Larvae feed n maples.

    -Beautiful Wood-nymph – gotta love moth names – often seen resting with front legs outstretched. This is a bird-dropping mimic. Larvae on Virginia Creeper and grape.

    -Genus Antaeotricha – one of the so-called bird-dropping moths. Makes it easy to hide in plain sight. Consider this strategy when venturing in tough neighborhoods. Larvae on oaks.

    -Beloved Emarginea Moth – built to camouflage perfectly on a lichen-studded tree branch. The equally-camouflaged caterpillars feed on mistletoe!

    -Angle-winged Emerald – another mystery moth. Caterpillars believed to feed on Bald Cypress, but have been raised on fir and hemlock. Some think Winged Sumac is also a host.

    -Luna Moth – each time we have put out the moth lights, the large silk moths like this Luna and several Imperials (photographed in an earlier post) usually appear late (after midnight). It is worth the wait.

    -Tulip-tree Silkmoth – this species is the exception to the late arrival rule for the big moths. These have been showing up early and usually sitting tight once they land (until the lights are turned off and then they disappear).

    As always, there are many non-moths that come to the moth party lights. Here are a few highlights…

    -Genus Phytocoris (a member of the Plant Bug family) – this tiny (compare to the size of the weave on the sheet) beauty is a first for me.

    -Green Lacewing – a delicate-looking lacy-winged insect with a fluttery flight. Larvae are voracious predators of aphids and often camouflage their backs with lichens or the dead bodies of their prey. Zoom in and check out those golden orb eyes.

    -Green Mantidfly – looks like a cross between a lacewing (back portion) and a praying mantis (front). And check out these eyes! Larvae are parasitoids in spider egg sacs.

    -Summer Fishfly – related to the larger Dobsonflies, but males lack the tusk-like mandibles of male Dobsonflies. This is a female, as her antennae only have the cob-like teeth on one side (males have feathery antennae).

    -Eastern Rhinoceros Beetle – Xyloryctes jamaicensis. A large robust beetle. Three females came to the light on one night. They supposedly feed on ash leaves as adults. Larvae feed on the roots of ash trees and on decaying organic matter. Males have a single horn.

    -Genus Parastasia (a member of the Shining Leaf Chafer Beetles). – winner of the cool antennae award. Tthis beetle feeds on leaves as an adult .

    -Fiery Searcher – This large (1.25 inches) beetle is an active hunter. In fact, it is a member of the caterpillar hunter group of ground beetles. It can give you a powerful bite, so look, but don’t touch. The metallic colors can be stunning.

    -While I was photographing something high on the moth sheet, the Fiery Searcher was busy doing what it does, seeking prey. It grabbed one of the several Rosy Maple Moths that had come to the light. By the time I saw it, it was too late to help the moth. The beetle fed on it the rest of the evening.

    -I saved the coolest critter until last. Our friend and Museum scientist, Chris Goforth, had recently posted about this unusual insect when one came to her moth light. It is a tiny moth-like insect known as a Pleasing Lacewing, Nallachius americanus. It is related to antlions. This one is a male as indicated by the very feathery antennae (females’ are more filiform). Not much is known about these minuscule bugs, but the larvae are believed to feed on beetles and ants (especially eggs and larvae) under tree bark.

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

  • Perfectly Paired

    I have learned from nature that all is equal… all is equal and in balance. I see everything as fitting together.

    ~Joseph Raffael

    Here in our home in the woods, I can look out our windows and see all sorts of interconnections – butterflies on Ironweed and Joe-Pye-Weed, American Goldfinches eating coneflower seeds, and birds searching for insects in the trees. There is another connection that seems to be one of the purest- like two puzzle pieces that fit perfectly together. That is the link between one of my favorite native wildflowers and one of my favorite summer birds – Cardinal Flowers and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. If you look at their range maps, they overlap to a great degree, owing, no doubt, to the dependence of the flower on the pollination compatibility of these hummingbirds.

    -A Ruby-throated Hummingbird at a Cardinal Flower (click photos to enlarge)

    Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) is a brilliant red flower named after the red robes worn by Roman Catholic cardinals. It grows naturally in damp soil, often along stream banks throughout much of our state. It is adaptable and grows well in any area with good soil, sun or part shade. The impressive flower stalk can bloom from July into September, with flowers opening from the bottom up. The plants are protandrous, meaning the male parts (stamens and anthers) mature before the female flower parts (style and stigma). The stamens form a tube around the immature female style. When the flower first opens, the style expands and pushes the anthers with the pollen out the top of the tube like a plunger. Thus, when a flower first opens, it has pollen dangling from the tip of that tube, ready to be deposited on the head of a visiting hummingbird. As the flower matures, the style continues to grow, and extends beyond the flower tube, the anthers wither, and the stigma becomes receptive to pollen. On any one flower stalk, you will likely have flowers near the top still releasing pollen while those below have receptive stigmas ready to receive pollen. As a hummingbird visits various flowers, it will pick up pollen on top of its head from some and deposit pollen grains on the receptive stigmas of others.

    -Five stamens are joined to form a tube around the style and are topped with a mustache-looking brush when the flower is releasing pollen. The brush-like “hairs” may help disperse the pollen more effectively.

    -As the flower matures, the style pushes the now receptive stigma out the top of the tube. When a hummingbird sticks its beak into the flower to get the nectar, pollen grains on its head can be transferred to the stigma.

    Due to the shape of the flower, the nectar is too deep for most pollinators to reach. Some bees will cut holes in the flower to “rob” nectar. Several large specie of butterflies can reach it with their long proboscis, but they rarely make contact with the reproductive parts of the flower and therefore don’t transfer pollen. But hummingbirds are a perfect fit. As they push their bill into the flower for nectar, the fused tube with either pollen or a receptive stigma, bends down to make contact with their head. Two slow motion video clips below show a hummingbird visiting a cardinal flower outside our window,

    –Hummingbird feeding at a Cardinal Flower (slow motion)

    –Another slow motion clip showing how the flower’s reproductive parts tap the head of the hummingbird and seem to latch onto it while the bird is feeding. This helps ensure the transfer and/or receipt of pollen.

    Cardinal flowers apparently produce copious amounts of nectar as hummingbirds make regular visits to each flower stalk in between bouts at the various feeders and other nectar-producing wildflowers (they also really like the Jewelweed blooming right now) scattered around the yard.

    As much as the hummingbirds and I love these plants, it seems a couple of other denizens of our wildlife-friendly yard do as well, and that creates some conflicts (at least in my mind). Whenever a rabbit sets up territory within our deer fence, it never fails to seek out and cut down any cardinal flower it comes across. I have helped that situation by placing some green wire cages around certain vulnerable plants.

    The other critter is more problematic. A few years ago, I started seeing heavy chewing on the leaves of my cardinal flowers. I finally found the culprit after some careful searching – a small green caterpillar the blends perfectly with the stem and leaf petioles as it voraciously consumes all parts of the plant.

    -When we go away for a few days, this is often what many of our Cardinal Flowers look like when we return – everything chewed to the nub, including the flowers and seed capsules

    The defoliator is a sort of plain green caterpillar, one of these that can be tough to identify because of all the look-alikes. After a lot of searching, I think I finally know what is eating all my Cardinal Flowers…

    -The culprit – I believe it is the caterpillar of the Pink-washed Looper Moth, Enigmogramma basigera

    If you know anything about me, you know I am very fond of caterpillars. But this one is testing my limits of tolerance. I am amazed that there will often be several different sizes of this caterpillar on one plant, as if a moth is laying an egg every day or two. They are quite difficult to see, especially the smaller ones, as they blend in very well and often hide underneath the leaves. I have also found several of the pupae under the few remaining leaf pieces on a particularly hard hit plant. I have started hand-picking them and tossing them, hopefully to end up as a tasty snack for the many species of birds that scour our yard jungle for food.

    -A hummingbird enjoying nectar from one of the remaining Cardinal Flowers in our yard

    These moths must have a spotty distribution as I have local friends with plenty of Cardinal Flowers in their gardens that have no issues. But, someone in a local native plant group recently posted a photo of their defoliated plants (both Cardinal Flower and Great Blue Lobelia – these larvae are apparently Lobelia specialists) asking people to help figure out what was happening. They had a rabbit fence around their garden but still suspected some sort of mammal. Various comments suggested deer or a rabbit somehow evading the fence. I commented on their post and suggested they look closely for these little green caterpillars. They quickly responded that my theory was “spot on” and their plants had several of the voracious little larvae.

    Ah, the trials and tribulations of “gardening for wildlife”. Guess I’ll just need to keep buying Cardinal Flower plants so that there hopefully will be enough for both birds and bugs.

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

  • Opossum “Tales”

    Making your bed is a simple way to start your day off on the right foot.

    ~Martha Stewart

    Ever since my friend Jerry posted some videos about the ‘possums in his back woods, I have been fascinated by the goings-on of our local marsupials. Because of Jerry’s fascinating footage of his critters, I bought a trail camera, then another, and…I now have seven of them scattered about in the woods hoping to capture anything interesting that my wild neighbors might be doing. But, I must admit, the neighborhood opossums are high on my list of subjects to spy on. We seem to have quite a good population, in spite of the coyotes and bobcats that occasionally show up on cameras. When I discovered a well-worn trail last year at the root ball of a large hickory that had blown over in a storm, I set up cameras to see who was passing by. It turned out to be a lot of critters use the trail, from raccoons to squirrels, but the resident mammals were a group of Virginia Opossums. And I finally got some brief footage of a momma ‘possum with a joey on her back and some young opossums near the den back in May.

    I had hoped to get a lot more footage of the young opossums around the den, but they disappeared after only a few days and the adults seemed to have left the den about that same time, although one did occasionally walk by or stop to sniff the area. I decided to leave one of the cameras focused on the den (which is in a hole in the root ball of the downed tree). And it has paid off as the den seems to be active again. A little over a week ago, an adult opossum started some home renovations by gathering leaves to make up a new bed. The process seems a lot less complicated than our recent home remodel efforts – just grab a mouthful of leaves and pass them under your belly to your tail, then repeat. Finally, when you have enough, carry them into the house and make your bed! No plans, no budgets, no contractors, no inspections.

    Here are a few clips of the Virginia Opossum gathering leaves for a sprucing up of the old homestead.

    –An opossum gathers leaves near the den by grabbing them in its mouth and passing them under its belly to its prehensile tail.

    –In slow motion you can see how the opossum uses its feet to pass the leaves to its tail

    –When the tail has enough leaves, you just waddle into the den and arrange your new bedroom

    The camera captured the opossum repeating this procedure four times. Apparently, that’s enough for a nice new Possumpedic mattress.

    One thing that troubled me back in May was the sudden disappearance of the young joeys. I figured they had fallen prey to one of the many predators that roam our woods. But this last week, the cameras caught a young opossum going into that same den twice, both very quick clips. It seems more than one opossum can use the same hole, or at least visit for a spell. I also documented a couple of young opossums crossing a log a few hundred feet from the old den site. Below is a clip showing two Virginia Opossums crossing the same log – note the size comparison between a young opossum and an adult.

    –A young opossum crossing (moving right to left) compared to an adult (moving left to right) on the same log. I don’t know for sure if this is one of the joeys from the May den footage, but the size is about right for that time frame.

    Looking forward to seeing what the Chatham ‘Possum Network has to offer in the future. Thanks, Jerry, for the inspiration.

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

  • Mothing 2023

    Life begins at night.

    ~Charlaine Harris

    National Moth Week (NMW) is now officially over for 2023. This celebration of the insects of the evening was last week, July 22-30. It is meant to bring awareness to the incredible diversity of the nocturnal insects that many of us only see as something flitting around our windows or porch lights at night. Scientists estimate there are between 150,000 and 500,000 species of moths in the world. Here in North Carolina, there are close to 3000 species and the list is growing every year. That is one of the reasons for the worldwide effort of NMW – to learn about and document moths. We we are still learning so much about this amazing group of insects. Many moths are quite cryptic, and go unnoticed during the day. And there is so much to learn about the life cycles and ecological connections of many species. I am amazed when I finally identify a moth I have never seen to species and then find out online that we don’t know what the larvae feed on. NMW is a chance for “moth-ers” to become citizen scientists and record and share their observations with various online biological data repositories like iNaturalist.

    We have a couple of black lights and some sheets that we set up on the front and back of the house to attract night-flying insects (moths are not the only things that come to the lights). Then we go outside and check to see who we have and attempt to photograph and identify them. I compile and submit those observations to iNaturalist. This is also a great way to add many new species to a project I started a few weeks ago to document all the invertebrates that we have here on our property (more on that in a future post).

    Last Friday we had a moth party (if it were a dance it would be called a moth ball) and had a few friends over to share in our nerdiness. That same evening we also were one of the presenters of a virtual moth night hosted by Science Across North Carolina. Several people were livestreaming to the SANC YouTube channel from a number of different places. Our friend and museum scientist, Chris Goforth, was helping coordinate the effort and we had a blast.

    So, here are just a few of the highlights of our efforts this past week at recording who is on the night shift in our woods. I have attempted to identify these using various apps and field guides and then posting on iNaturalist. But, if you see an error, drop me a note in the comments section. I don’t give sizes here, but photos were primarily taken on a white sheet (notice the weave for size comparisons) or the exterior wooden siding of our house, so you can see many of the subjects are quite small.

    -Dimorphic Tosale Moth. Larval host plants are apparently unknown (click photos to enlarge).

    -Beaded Lacewing. Okay, a lot of non-moths are attracted to the lights. If I got this ID correct, this critter is related to antlions and other Neuropterans. The larvae supposedly eat termites. And one reference I saw says the larvae (not sure if this is the case with this species) of this group approaches a termite and releases a toxic vapor from its rear end that immobilizes the termite so it can then be eaten. The article said the larvae basically “farts their prey to death”!

    -Dotted Leaftier Moth. I love the patterns on various moths.

    -Bent-line Gray, another subtle looker.

    -Ilia Underwing. Though beautiful as is, the real surprise comes when this large moth opens its wings to reveal a bright flash of salmon color on its hind wings (you can see a hint of it where the wings meet).

    -Red-fringed Emerald. This beautiful little moth has a reddish-brown early spring form and this emerald green summer form.

    -Another non-moth, a massive Triceratops Beetle. The larvae live in rotting wood.

    -Zebra Conchylodes Moth. I had never seen this one before and it is a stunner! Larvae feed on asters.

    -The Hebrew Moth. Named for the resemblance of the wing markings to a Hebrew letter (nun). The caterpillar feeds exclusively on species of gum (Nyssa sp.)

    -Juniper Geometer Moth. Also called the Juniper-twig Geometer. As the name implies, the larvae feed on Eastern Red Cedar (and possibly pines) in our region.

    -Esther Moth. Another one whose larvae feed on pines.

    -Oblique-banded Leafroller Moth. Larvae roll leaves of various trees to feed and hide.

    –Macrocera sp. Belonging to a group known as Predatory Fungus Gnats, the larvae of which spin a web with droplets of acid fluids which kill their tiny invertebrate prey.

    The following pics are from our moth night event last Friday. Again, this is but a sampler of the many species we recorded.

    Banded or Sycamore Tussock Moth. I love the subtle pattern and colors of this group (you cannot distinguish between the two species without dissecting the genitalia of the adult moths!)

    -Gold-striped Grass Veneer. A delicate little moth whose larvae are believed to feed on grasses.

    -Eastern Hercules Beetle. One of my favorite non-moths to visit the lights. One of North America’s largest insects, this is a huge male (note the horns, females lack those). One reference said they are harmless to people, which is true…but they tend to be rather erratic flyers, and a female hit me right in the forehead last week. It didn’t hurt, but, needless to say, it startled me.

    -Baltimore Snout. A distinctive moth with its triangular shape, bold markings, and “snout”, which is actually a pair of labial palps.

    -Grape Leaffolder Moth. Larvae fold leaves and feed primarily on various species of grape and Virginia Creeper. Adults are day-flying moths but are also attracted to lights at night.

    -Yellow-collared Slug Moth (also called the Inverted Y-Moth as its scientific name, based on the wing markings, is Apoda y-inversum. If anyone knows why many species of moths perch with their abdomen sticking up in the air, please drop me a note.

    –Calyptoproctus marmoratus, another non-moth – a huge (1 inch long) plant hopper. It looks like a cross between a cicada and a plant hopper. This native species is related to the invasive Spotted Lanternfly.

    -Southern Flying Squirrel. This little guy (and two of his friends) were the real stars of the show on Friday. Non-moths for sure (athough I believe they will consume moths that they can catch). One to three flying squirrels have been coming to the bird feeders every night for the past few weeks to dine on sunflower seeds. Even with three of them on the feeder, they don’t cause it to drop down to block the feeding ports as does just one Eastern Gray Squirrel. We livestreamed these to the SANC viewers and managed to get quite close images as this one stayed on the feeder as I slowly pulled it (it is on a pulley system) closer to the deck as Melissa filmed it with her phone. I took one shot with my camera as it happily fed while giving us the side eye.

    -Rosy Maple Moth. One of our favorites, this beauty is a member of the Giant Silk Moth family, though it is not nearly as large as many of its cousins. We find the larvae mainly on maples. Adults, like other members of this family, have no functional mouth parts and do not feed.

    -Imperial Moth. This was the largest moth (they can reach up to 6 inches in wing span) to visit us on our moth night (unfortunately about 5 minutes after our friends left at 11 p.m.). Their caterpillars are also huge and come in 4 color morphs.

    I encourage everyone to seek out your local moth fauna. It can be as simple as leaving on a porch light for a few hours and checking out who flies in. But, please don’t leave your outside lights on all night as many insects get “trapped” by the lights and will remain at that spot until daybreak when they become easy victims for birds, outdoor cats, or other predators.

    There are a lot of great resources out there if you decide you want to identify your moths. For our region, I recommend: The Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Southeastern North America; apps like SEEK and LEPS; and to confirm what you have found and learn more, websites such as BugGuide and the Moths of North Carolina.

    Happy moth-ing!

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

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