Privet, Honeysuckle and Wisteria Got Away

 

Chinese Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) flowers. 
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Sometimes things get away.  Three common plants that were imported into the United States for their utility, flowers and fragrance have escaped domestication and turned invasive.  Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), Chinese Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) and Chinese Privet (Ligustrum sinense) have left the gardens and gone into the wild where they are choking out native plants.  As their names imply, all three of these plants originated in eastern Asia.  

Chinese Privet (Ligustrum sinsese) flowers. 
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Chinese Privet.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Chinese Privet is a shrub or small tree in the Olive family, the Oleracea.  It was brought to North America in the mid-19^th century as an ornamental and hedge plant.  It escaped cultivation and now covers thousands of acres in the southeastern United States.  Chinese Privet produces abundant white flowers that develop into purple fruits.  These are eaten by birds that disperse seeds in their droppings.  It is called one of the worst invasive plants by the US Department of Agriculture and out competes natives.  It is especially common in the understory of swamp forests.  

Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) flowers. 
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Japanese Honeysuckle overgrowing wild shrubs.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Japanese Honeysuckle is a vine that is native to Japan, Korea and eastern China. It is classified in the family Caprifoliaceae that includes a number of native honeysuckles.  Japanese Honeysuckle was imported from Japan in the early 1800s for its white and yellow flowers and its sweet aroma.  This vine was also used to prevent erosion and as food for deer.  Japanese Honeysuckle also made an escape and is often found in sunny, disturbed areas where it can grow into dense tickets of vines.  The vines shade out other plants and prevent germination of native trees. 

Chinese Wisteria vines in full flower.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Chinese Wisteria flowers.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Chinese Wisteria is a woody vine in the Pea family, the Fabaceae.  It originated in China but has been introduced to many temperate regions of the world.  Chinese Wisteria grows across the ground and up trees where it produces cascades of purple to white flowers in the spring.  The flowers are not only beautiful, but they also have a delicate fragrance.  These features made Chinese Wisteria a landscape staple.  In the southeastern United States Chinese Wisteria has become invasive covering extensive areas. It can even overgrow and kill large trees. 

Chinese Wisteria covering trees.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Japanese Honeysuckle, Chinese Privet and Chinese Wisteria were brought to the United States and other locations around the world with the best intentions.  But these plants got away causing serious environmental problems. Removal of these invasive plants costs millions of dollars each year.  Despite the ecological disruptions and the money it takes to remove invasive plants, they continue to be available for sale in nurseries around the country.  They will be planted anew and get away to cause further problems.

 

Wonders of Spring

 

Male Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea).
Catawba College Ecological Preserve. 
Salisbury, North Carolina.

The world is awash with wonders, big and small.  As spring has unfurled and we have gotten out in the woods these wonders have revealed themselves.  

 Tiny wasps are out and laying their eggs on plants.  The wasps synthesize and inject plant hormones at the site of egg deposition, and this causes a proliferation of plant tissue resulting in galls.  The eggs hatch and the larvae eat the galls and grow.  The larvae then metamorphose into a mature wasps that chew their way out of the gall.  Oaks (Quercus sp.) are common hosts for gall wasps. 

Lobed Oak Gall Wasp (Andricus quercusstrobilanus) Gall.
Catawba College Ecological Preserve. 
Salisbury, North Carolina.

We found two distinctive galls on oaks this spring.  One was produced by the Lobed Oak Gall Wasp (Andricus quercusstrobilanus).  The woody, polyhedral gall has multiple chambers that taper down to their common attachment point on the stem of an Overcup Oak (Quercus lyrata).  Each chamber hosted a single wasp larva.  In the Lobed Oak Galls we found the wasps had already emerged because each chamber had a small exit hole. 

Wool Sower Gall Wasp (Callirhytis seminator) Gall.
Catawba College Ecological Preserve. 
Salisbury, North Carolina.

Internal structure of Wool Sower Gall Wasp Gall.
Salisbury Greenway, Salisbury, North Carolina. 

A second gall was made by the Wool Sower Gall Wasp (Callirhytis seminator).  The gall was on a White Oak (Quercus alba), the usual host for this wasp and was about two inches in diameter. This gall was interesting because it was white and fuzzy, very unlike the Lobed Oak Gall.  The gall contained many small brown structures each of which had a single wasp larvae.  We never did see the tiny adult wasp that made either of these galls, but we know they are around. 

Catbriar (Smilax sp.) young fruits. 
Catawba College Ecological Preserve. 
Salisbury, North Carolina.

Catbriar mature fruits.
Catawba College Ecological Preserve. 
Salisbury, North Carolina.

Catbriar (Smilax sp.) is an evergreen vine with sharp spines.  The vines sported new growth and was in flower and early fruit.  One vine had both tiny new fruits and mature fruits from last year.  

American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) bark. 
Catawba College Ecological Preserve. 
Salisbury, North Carolina.

American Sycamore (Plantanus occidentalis) trunks have beautiful bark. On a mature tree the young bark near the top is white, older parts of the trunk are mottled with patches ranging from white to green to brown that are described as camouflage.  The oldest bark is dark brown and scaly.  

Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus). 
Catawba College Ecological Preserve. 
Salisbury, North Carolina.

Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) butterflies are flying.  These large black butterflies have a distinctive pattern of white markings and the characteristic swallowtails.  They lay their eggs and the larvae develop on Northern Spicebush (Lindera benzoin).  

Asian Lady Beetle (Harmonia axyridis).
Catawba College Ecological Preserve. 
Salisbury, North Carolina.

Asian Lady Beetles (Harmonia axyridis) are our familiar Lady Bugs. These well-known insects are native to eastern Asia and because they are voracious predators of aphids have been introduced around the world as a form of biological pest control.  The bright orange and black coloration is a warning signal to potential predators that they taste bad.  This point was dramatically brought home when a friend who likes to eat things from the wild popped an Asian Lady Beetle into his mouth.  He instantly started to spit out beetle parts, to choke, spit and generally suffer from trying to consume an Asian Lady Beetle. 

Green Treefrog (Dryophutes cinereus) in a frog tube.
Catawba College Ecological Preserve. 
Salisbury, North Carolina.

Northern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans).
Six Mile Creek Greenway, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. 

Northern Cricket Frog.
Six Mile Creek Greenway, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. 

Frogs are calling and hoping around the wetlands.  A Green Treefrog (Dryophytes cinereus) was using a plastic pipe as a safe perch. Northern Cricket Frogs (Acris crepitans) had just crawled from a vernal pool.  Some of these tiny frogs are plain brown and others are brown with a bright green Y on their back.  

Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea).
Catawba College Ecological Preserve. 
Salisbury, North Carolina.

Yellow-crowned Night Herons (Nyctanassa violacea) haunt the swamp, stalking crayfish.  These short-necked, big-eyed herons do indeed hunt at night but are sometimes abroad in the day. 

 

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) collecting lichens.
Catawba College Ecological Preserve. 
Salisbury, North Carolina.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher approaching its nest.
Catawba College Ecological Preserve. 
Salisbury, North Carolina.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher on its nest.
Catawba College Ecological Preserve. 
Salisbury, North Carolina.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher on its nest.
Catawba College Ecological Preserve. 
Salisbury, North Carolina.

Blue-gray Gnatcatchers (Polioptila caerulea) are among the earliest migrating songbirds to arrive in the spring.  They spend the winter in Florida and points south and on their return waste no time in starting their nests.  Blue-gray Gnatcatchers collect spider and Eastern Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma americanum) silk.  They use silk to hold together lichens that make up their nests.  They are tiny birds and build a tiny nest that looks like a lichen-covered lump on a branch. 

 

Male Prothonotary Warbler with its bands.
Catawba College Ecological Preserve. 
Salisbury, North Carolina.

Another small bird that returns from the tropics is the Protonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea).  They breed in southeastern swamps after spending the winter in Central American and northern South America.  Protonotaries are golden-yellow with black beaks, eyes and legs.  Their loud song echoes through the wetlands as males set up their breeding territories.  This spring a male Prothonotary Warbler was defending an area near where he was hatched.  Catawba College biology professor Dr. Joe Poston banded this bird with a unique pattern of plastic and metal bands in April 2024.  Because of these bands this particular Protonotary can be identified in the field with binoculars.  This bird continues to return to his home swamp and may do so for years.

These are just some of the wonders we have seen this spring by walking the woods, fields and swamps near our home. 

Termite Emergence

 

Eastern Subterranean Termites (Reticulitermes flaviceps)
emerging from a trail sign.
Catawba College Ecological Preserve.
Salisbury, North Carolina. 

On a recent hike Diane and I walked through a cloud of insects. Stopping to look, we saw a wooden trail sign swarming with termites that were taking to the air.  They were Eastern Subterranean Termites (Reticulitermes flaviceps) and we were seeing the emergence and nuptial flight of this social insect.  

 

Eastern Subterranean Termites.
Catawba College Ecological Preserve.
Salisbury, North Carolina. 

Eastern Subterranean Termites live underground, as their name suggests. Their colonies can harbor millions of termites and there are three different castes.  Members of the worker caste are wingless, eyeless, white and cannot reproduce.  They eat wood that they digest with the aid of gut microbes. Workers feed members of other castes, raise young and build mud tunnels around the nest.  Termites of the soldier caste resemble workers but they have large jaws that they use to drive off ants and other predators that might invade the colony.   Soldiers cannot feed themselves and rely on workers for their nutrition.  

Eastern Subterranean Termite alates.
Catawba College Ecological Preserve.
Salisbury, North Carolina. 

The third caste is the reproductive caste.  Unlike the workers and soldiers, the members of this caste are dark brown or black with black wings.  They have eyes, and as their name says, they can reproduce.  The reproductive form of the Eastern Subterranean Termite is called an alate.

 

Video of Eastern Subterranean Termites.

Catawba College Ecological Preserve.

Salisbury, North Carolina. 

As we watched, hundreds of termites swarmed from tunnels in the sign and took flight.   This mass of termites was composed of about equal numbers of males and females.  Males and females pair up on the flight, shed their wings and dig tunnels to form new colonies.  

Holes in the sign from which Eastern 
Subterranean Termites emerged.
Catawba College Ecological Preserve.
Salisbury, North Carolina. 

With so many termites appearing at once, predators are overwhelmed by their numbers so many survive to found new colonies.  Vast numbers of animals are always impressive whether it is Wildebeests (Connochaetes sp.) migrating on the savannas of Africa or an swarming termites in North Carolina.  After watching the termites emerge for a few minutes we walked on.  When we passed by the sign again a half hour later all the termites were gone.

Trail sign.
Catawba College Ecological Preserve.
Salisbury, North Carolina. 

New American Parrots

 

Blue-crowned Parakeet (Thectocercus acuticaudatus).
Broward County, Florida. 

People don’t think of the United States as prime parrot territory, but when Europeans arrived in the New World there were two native parrots.  Carolina Parakeets (Conuropsis carolinensis) lived in Eastern North America from Florida north to what would become New York and west to the great plains.  Thick-billed Parrots (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha) are native to the mountains of Mexico and their range extended into the future Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. 

Carolina Parakeets (Conuropsis carolinensis)
by John James Audubon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_parakeet#/media/
File:AudubonCarolinaParakeet2.jpg

Unfortunately, Carolina Parakeets were driven to extinction by habitat loss and hunting.  The last member of this species died in the Cincinnati Zoo in 1918.  The Thick-billed Parrot is an endangered species.  Its population in Mexico has been in decline and the last native Thick-billed Parrots in Southwestern United States were seen in the 1930s.  The old story of habitat loss plays a role in this decline but the capture of wild birds for the pet trade also contributed to the loss of Thick-billed Parrots. 

So, we know parrots can live in the United States, but the native species were lost in the early 20^th century.  Since that time other parrots have been introduced to the country.  Some are escaped or released cage birds and at least one species may have colonized the southern border on its own. 

Introduced parrots can be found across the United States, often in urban environments.  Parrots are classified in the Order Psittaciformes, and this order has more than 400 species.  Parrots are generally found in the tropics and subtropics, but as we see, they can reach into temperate regions.  A note about names.  The largest parrots are named macaws.  Medium sized parrots are just called parrots or amazons. Small parrots with long pointed tails are parakeets. 

The greatest diversity of the new American parrots is found in South Florida, the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and California.  The subtropical climate and abundance of fruit trees in these areas fit the lifestyle of parrots and they have made themselves at home.  

Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monarchus).
Palm Beach County, Florida. 

Monk Parakeet colonial nest. 
Hidalgo County, Texas.

Monk Parakeets building a nest.
Palm Beach County, Florida.

Monk Parakeets (Myiopsitta monarchus) are originally from subtropical and temperate areas of southern South America.  They are now well established in North America as far north as southern Canada.   Monk Parakeets are bright green with gray on the face and breast.  As with most parrots, they are gregarious but unlike other parrots build nests of sticks that are used by multiple pairs of birds.  Monk Parakeets were imported into the United States for the pet trade.  Some escaped and others were released and they thrived.  Florida is estimated to have a population of up to half a million of these bright and squawking parrots.  We have seen Monk Parakeets in Florida and Texas. 

Nanday Parakeets (Aratinga nenday). 
Palm Beach County, Florida.

The Nanday Parakeet (Aratinga nenday) is another South American species that was released or escaped captivity and found a welcoming environment in Florida and in other locations. They are green with a black face and beak, black wings and a blue tail. We regularly see Nanday Parakeets when we visit Florida. 

Mitred Parrakeet (Psittacara mitrata).
Broward County, Florida. 

Mitred Parakeets.
Broward County, Florida. 

The Mitred Parakeet's (Psittacara mitrata) natural range is the Andes, from Peru to Argentina.  It is also established in South Florida and California from escaped and released birds.  Mitred Parakeets are brilliant green with red on the face.  They travel in noisy flocks to feed on fruit and flowers.  In Florida they nest in rain gutters, vents and holes in buildings.  We found a flock of Mitred Parakeets in an old Ft. Lauderdale cemetery.

Green Parakeets (Psittacara holochlorus).
Hidalgo County, Texas.

Green Parakeets.
Hidalgo County, Texas. 

Originally Green Parakeets (Psittacara holochlorus) ranged from northern Mexico into Central America. They are now thriving in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas.  Hundreds of these parakeets roost in places like downtown McAllen where we found them. The noise made by so many Green Parakeets coming to roost at sunset is amazing. Some of the Green Parakeets in Texas are descendants of captive birds but some may have dispersed from the native population in Mexico.  Green Parakeets are indeed green with a pale beak.

 

Blue-crowned Parakeet.
Broward County, Florida.

Blue-crowned Parakeets.
Broward County, Florida. 

Yet another South American import is the Blue-crowned Parakeet (Thectocercus acuticaudatus).  This green parakeet has a blue forehead and face, a white eye ring and a pink beak. The undersides of the wings are yellow and the tail from below is orange and yellow.  Besides South America, Blue-crowned Parakeets live in South Florida, Southern California and other locations.  We found a large flock in Live Oak trees (Quercus virginana) in Ft. Lauderdale.   

Rosy-faced Lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis).
Maricopa County, Arizona.  

Rosy-faced Lovebird
Maricopa County, Arizona. 

Rosy-faced Lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis) are native to the savannas of Southwest Africa and are now found in the United States, Europe and other areas.  They are green with rosy-pink faces and a pale bill.  We found them in a small park in Tempe, Arizona, an area that resembles their African home. 

 

Chestnut-fronted Macaw (Ara severus).
Miami-Dade County, Florida.  

Chestnut-fronted Macaws. 
Miami-Dade County, Florida. 

Chestnut-fronted Macaws (Ara severus) are naturally found in lowland rainforests of South America including much of the Amazon basin.  These large, pointy-tailed parrots are green with red and blue on the wings.  The chestnut front in the name comes from a brown patch above the beak.  We found a bedraggled batch of Chestnut-fronted Macaws during a thunderstorm in a South Miami park.

Blue-and-Yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna).
Miami-Dade County, Florida. 

Blue-and-Yellow Macaw.
Miami-Dade County, Florida. 

Blue-and-yellow Macaws (Ara ararauna) are impressively large with a blue back and upper wings and are brilliant gold beneath.  Their crown is green and the black-and-white face pattern sets off the large black beak. We saw them in the same park as the Chestnut-fronted Macaws and they were likewise drenched from the rain. 

It is interesting that the two parrots native to the United States are extinct but other parrots have moved in to fill the parrot niche.  There are now at least 56 species of parrots in the US.  Some may never have a self-sustaining population, but others are thriving and parrots will continue to be part of the avifauna of the United States. 

Nanday Parakeet.
Palm Beach County, Florida.