Spring Comes to Boone’s Cave

 

Boone’s Cave is a park in Davidson County, North Carolina.  The Boone’s Cave Park covers 110 acres of forested hills and ravines on the banks of the Yadkin River.  Squire and Sarah Boone were early white settlers in the region.  Their son Daniel went on to fame as a frontiersman and explorer in the 18 century.  The park boasts several small caves overlooking the Yadkin River and local lore has Daniel Boone using them to hide from hostile Native Americans.   Starting in March, 2022 Diane and I made regular visits to Boone’s Cave to document the plants as spring came forth. 

 

The mouth of Boone's Cave above the Yadkin River in
Davidson County, North Carolina.

The Boone Memorial at
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina.

As spring came on in March, temperatures were cool and slanting sunlight illuminated the forest floor. Early Saxifrage (Micranthes virginiensis) was growing on the wet cliffs near the cave and putting out its first tentative buds.  Later in the month these plants had grown new leaves and were producing many white flowers.    

Early Saxifrage (Micranthes virginiensis) in flower.
Boone's Cave Park. 

Aesculus sylvatica, Painted Buckeyes, were just opening their palmately compound leaves down by the river. 

Painted Buckeye (Aesculus sylvatica) leaf bud.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

Young leaves of Painted Buckeye.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

Buckeye leaves were expanding by the end of March.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

Hepatica (Hepatica americana) flowers were emerging to take advantage of the early pollinators and by the end of the month Hepatica was in fruit.  Another early flowering plant of the understory was Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis).  They pushed up their white flowers and dissected leaves to reproduce before the trees leafed out and blocked the sunlight. 

Hepatica americana in flower.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

Hepatica plant in fruit.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) leaf and flower.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

Windflowers (Thalictrum thalictroides) with their bright white petals were also early bloomers in the ravines of Boone's Cave.  

Windflower (Thalictrim thalictroides) flowers.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

Spring really took off in April with longer days and higher temperatures.  Trees were in flower including Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) and Carolina Silverbell (Halesia carolina).  

 

Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) in flower.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

Carolina Silverbells (Halesia carolina) flowers.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

Cercis canadensis, Eastern Redbud was covered in pink flowers and Ulmus americana, American Elm had already set seed.  
                     

Redbud (Cercis canadensis) in flower.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

American Elm (Ulmus americana) fruits.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

The blooms of Pinxter Flower (Rhododendron periclymenoides) were stretched over the river and Leucothoe fontanesiana, Mountain Doghobble hung out its abundant white flowers.  Doghobble is usually found in the mountains, but the cool, wet microclimate on this bluff above the Yadkin River allowed this shrub to thrive.

Pinxter Flower (Rhododendron periclymenoides).
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

Mountain Doghobble (Leucothoe fontanesiana) blooms
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

In April, the ravines leading to the river abounded with Christmas Ferns (Polystichum acrostichoides) unfurling their fiddleheads and the first Bluets (Houstonia caerulea) of the year raised their heads from beds of moss.  

Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) fiddlehead.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

 

Bluets (Houstonia caerulea) in flower.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

Bloodroot plants had produced fruits by April and Uvularia perfoliata, Perfoliate Bellwort plants glowed in the leaf litter, with their pale green leaves and nodding yellow flowers.  

    

Bloodroot leaf and fruit in April.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

Perfoliate Bellwort (Uvularia perfoliata) has 
nodding flowers and perfoliate leaves. 

Mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum) were emerging in large stands and Foamflowers (Tiarella cordifolia) began producing their foamy white flowers. The Early Saxifrage, that we saw flowering in March had produced paired, pink fruits by mid-April.

A large stand of Mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum).
 Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia) in full flower. 
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

Early Saxifrage with fruits.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

Painted Buckeyes, displayed their pale-yellow flowers along the river and delicate Dwarf-crested Irises (Iris cristata) made their annual appearance. 

Painted Buckeye flowers.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

Dwarf-crested Iris (Iris cristata). 
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

Jack-in-the Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) was in full flower and False Solomon’s Seal (Maianthemum racemosum) put forth its flower buds at the tip of the stem.  True Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum) was also blooming.  Its flowers emerge from the base of the leaves and hang down all along the stem.

Jack-in-the Pulpit (Arasaema triphyllum).
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina.
 

False Solomon's Seal (Maianthemum racemosum)
 with flower buds at the tip of the stem.

Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum biflorum) in flower.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

Perfoliate Bellwort plants had three-lobed, green fruits laying on the leaves and Mayapples were in full flower in April. Cynoglossum virginianum, Hound’s Tongue, with its large green leaves and small blue flowers were growing in the forest understory in April and had produced spiky, four-lobed fruit in May.  

Perfoliate Bellwort fruit.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

Mayapple in flower.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

Hound's Tongue (Cynoglossum virginianum)
plant with flowers.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina.

Hound's Tongue flowers.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

Hound's Tongue fruits in May.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

May also found Kalmia latifolia, Mountain Laurel in full bloom.  These five-petaled flowers vary in color from pink to white.  Each flower has 10 stamens attached to the petals and the stamens are under tension.  When a pollinating insect enters the flower the stamens snap toward the insect, showering it with pollen.  In the forest understory, Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) flowers, called little brown jugs, were also out in May.  

Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia) in full flower.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

A flower of  Asarum canadense, Wild Ginger.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

Both Mayapples and Buckeyes were in fruit in May and Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), a large forest tree, was making a show with its large yellow flowers. 

Mayapple with fruit.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

Buckeye fruits.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulpifera) flower.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

The orchid, Putty Root (Aplectrum hyemale), with its purple and white flowers made its appearance in May.  On the floodplain a robust, grass-like plant Carex grayi, Gray’s Sedge, put out abundant growth in spring.  This plant had long, bright green leaves and marvelous spiky seed heads.

Putty Root (Aplectrum hyemale) flowers.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

Gray's Sedge (Carex grayi) fruits.
Boone's Cave Park, North Carolina. 

By the middle of May the canopy had closed and the light in the forest was much dimmer and greener.  The plants continued to appear in flower and fruit.  But our project had to end, other projects and destinations called us away.  Our time in the woods, watching spring come on, gave us a more intimate understanding of the changes that happen on the cliffs and floodplains of the Yadkin River in the spring.

Rain Forest Mammals

 

A Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus)
climbing a tree. Soberania National Park, Panama.

Diane and I recently participated in a birding trip to Panama.  The birds were there and they were amazing.  We saw toucans, trogons, tanagers, tinamous and flycatchers, flycatchers and still more flycatchers.  But surprisingly, we also saw lots of mammals.  On other trips to the tropics we have seen  a few mammals but in Panama they were abundant.  

Canopy Tower, Panama.
Photo courtesy of Diane Coggin. 

Our group stayed at the Canopy Tower in the lowland rainforest near the Panama Canal then moved to the Canopy Lodge in El Valle de Anton. This valley is really a caldera surrounded by the rim of an ancient volcano.  This location is a little cooler and has rainforest, farms and on the peaks, cloud forest.  

Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth. Soberania
National Park, Panama.

Sloths are iconic animals of the American tropics and we saw them every day.  We saw both Hoffmann’s Two-toed Sloths (Choloepus hoffmanni) and Brown-throated Three-toed Sloths (Bradypus variegatus). Sloths live their lives slowly moving through the canopy of their tropical forest home.  Their diet is mostly leaves but they will also eat flowers and fruits.  Sloth metabolism is slow and they may take weeks to digest their high fiber meals.  Hoffmann’s Two-towed Sloths are nocturnal and are the larger of the two species.  Brown-throated Three-towed Sloths are smaller and are active in the day.  Male Three-toed Sloths are easy to identify.  They have a bright orange patch with a black line down the middle of their back.  This unmistakable signal develops in males at sexual maturity and produces a musky smell that may attract female sloths.     

A male Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth showing 
its orange and black patch on the back.
Canopy Tower, Panama.

One large and common mammal that we also saw every day was the Central American Agouti (Dasyprocta punctata).  This large rodent is the size of an obese house cat.   We would see agoutis in the daytime at forest edges and in fields searching for fruit.  Because of their diet, agoutis are important seed dispersers for many tropical plants. 

Central American Agouti (Dasyprocta punctata). 
Summit Botanical Gardens, Panama.

Central American Agouti.
Summit Botanical Gardens, Panama.

One day, while we were hiking Pipeline Road, our guide Alex pointed out a furry head poking out of a tree hole over the trail.  Our group was being watched by the beady eyes of a Rufous Soft-furred Spiny Rat (Diplomys labilis).  This squirrel sized rat lives its entire life in trees, eating leaves and fruit.

 

Rufous Soft-furred Spiny Rat (Diplomys labilis)
peeking from a tree hole.
Pipeline Road, Panama.

A common squirrel in the areas we visited was the Red-tailed Squirrel (Sciurus granatensis). Red-tailed Squirrels look very similar to the Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) of North America. We saw a Red-tailed Squirrel collect a palm nut, run to another tree and proceed to devour it.  

Red-tailed Squirrel (Sicurus granatensis) eating a palm nut.
El Valle de Anton, Panama. 

While riding in a truck down a mountain road, we found four juvenile Nine-banded Armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) rooting on the shoulder.  These young armadillos still had pink scales on their armored backs.  The fact there were four young armadillos in this group was significant.  During the development of Nine-banded Armadillos, the fertilized egg splits into four identical embryos so all armadillo births consist of identical quadruplets.  

Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) quadruplets foraging beside a 
forest road. Canopy Tower, Panama. 

There were many bats in Panama, most of which we could not identify.  But at the Summit Botanical Garden, a group of Brown Tent-making Bats (Uroderma magnirostrum) was roosting on the underside of a palm frond.  These bats have a dark brown bodies with white stripes on the head and back.  At sunset the Brown Tent-making Bats fly forth to consume figs, flowers, nectar and sometimes insects. 

Brown Tent-making Bats (Uroderma magnirostrum)
roosting beneath a palm frond. 
Summit Botanical Gardens, Panama. 
Photo courtesy of Dr. Richard Pockat.

Two racoon relatives came to the trees near the Canopy Tower at night.  These were the Western Lowland Olingo (Bassaricyon medius) and the Kinkajou (Potos flavus). Both species are nocturnal and forage in the treetops looking for fruit, nectar and small animals.  Kinkajous are the larger of the two and have long prehensile tails to aid in their high-speed travels through the canopy. 

A Kinkajou (Potos flavus) at the Canopy Tower, Panama.

Perhaps the strangest mammal we encountered was an anteater, the Northern Tamandua (Tamandua mexicana). The Northern Tamandua has a long legs, a long tail and the long snout typical of anteaters.  True to their name, Northern Tamanduas eat ants but will also consume termites, beetles and other insects.  Their tail is prehensile so Tamanduas spend part of the time hunting in trees.  Like all anteaters, Northern Tamanduas are toothless. 

Northern Tamandua (Tamandua mexicana).
Canopy Tower, Panama.

Panama has many species of primates (besides humans) and some of these fascinating creatures crossed our path.  The most impressive were the Mantled Howler Monkeys (Alouatta palliata).  These animals were large and black with a yellow mantle of hairs on their backs and sides.  Mantled Howlers travel in large family groups, eating leaves and fruit.  Howler Monkeys get their name from their booming vocalizations.  Male Howlers produce roars that sound like the world’s largest jaguar and can be heard for miles in the thick forest.  

Mantled Howler Monkey (Alouatta palliata)
loafing in a rainforest tree.
Canopy Tower, Panama. 

A female Mantled Howler Monkey moving through the canopy.
Rainforest Discovery Center, Panama. 

A large troop of Panamanian White-faced Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus imitator) were scampering across a road in the village of Gamboa, Panama.  These are the familiar organ grinder monkeys of days past.  White-faced Capuchins feed on a wide variety of food items and are important in dispersing seeds of rainforest trees.  The brown coat color and head pattern of this monkey led to their being named for the Capuchin Friars of the Catholic Church. 

A Panamanian White-faced Capuchin Monkey (Cebus imitator)
scampering across a road.
Gamboa Rainforest Resort, Panama. 

A group Geoffroy's Tamarins (Saguinus geoffroyi) would usually greet us in the morning at the Canopy Tower.  These small monkeys have a striking black, white and brown color pattern and very long tails.  The staff at the Canopy Tower use a clothesline to run bananas out to a nearby tree and the monkeys would come running. 

A Geoffroy's Tamarin (Saguinus geoffroyi)
contemplating the day.
Canopy Tower, Panama. 

 

Geoffroy's Tamarin.
Canopy Tower, Panama. 

The most interesting monkeys we saw came to the Canopy Tower at night They were Panamanian Night Monkeys (Aotus zonalis) and they fought over fruit provided by our hosts.  Night Monkeys have large eyes as befits a nocturnal animal and they supplement their diet of fruit with leaves and insects. 

Two Panamanian Night Monkeys (Aotus zonalis) eating a banana.
Canopy Tower, Panama.  

When going to the tropics we expect to see large numbers of plant species, many types of insects and loads of birds.  This visit to Panama delivered a surprising number of mammals.  Humans have a close connection to mammals because we share so much with them.  This is particularly true with monkeys, who are imperfect mirrors of ourselves. 

This Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth just crossed a 
road and is headed for the trees.
El Valle de Anton, Panama. 

Thanks to the staff and guides of the Canopy Family and to Diane Coggin for the picture of the Canopy Tower.  A special thanks to Dr. Richard Pockat for sharing his excellent photograph of the Brown Tent-making Bats. 

 

Colombian Birds

 

This Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus) has caught a cicada (Cicadidae).
Tayrona National Park, Colombia. 

This May, I was in Colombia on a long-planned trip with friends, Joe Poston and Andrew Jacobson.  They are professors at Catawba College and were scouting locations to take biology and environmental science students for field work and to experience the diverse bird life.  We worked with Colombian scientist Ruben Placio who planned the trip and traveled with us much of the time. Our Colombia travels started with a couple of days in the old port city of Cartagena.  This striking town on the Caribbean coast has a charming colonial center and fortifications dating from the 16th century.  New birds started appearing as we walked the streets of Cartagena. Brown-throated Parakeets (Eupsittula pertinax) were squawking in the trees along busy roads.  A corral for the horses that pulled carriages through the streets had Saffron Finches (Sicalis flaveola) and a curious flycatcher, the Cattle Tyrant (Machetornis rixosa), that spends most of its time running along the ground. 

Brown-throated Parakeet (Eupsittula pertinax).
Cartagena, Colombia.

A male Saffron Finch (Sicalis flaveola).
Cartagena, Colombia. 

Cattle Tyrant (Machetornis rixosa) hunting insects on the ground.
Cartagena, Colombia. 

We then met our guide, Angel and traveled up the coast, making numerous stops to see the birds and other natural wonders.  Joe Poston commented, the wonders went “all the way to the horizon.”  And they did.  

A Turquoise-winged Parrotlet (Forpus spengeli).  This tiny parrot
is endemic to northern Colombia. 
Magdalena Department, Colombia.

Pearl Kite (Gampsonyx swainsonii).  This small
raptor feeds mainly on lizards. 
Magdalena Department. Colombia.

Southern Lapwing (Vanellus chilensis).
This large and handsome sandpiper was feeding in an onion field.
Magdalena Department, Colombia. 

Russet-throated Puffbird (Hypnelus ruficollis).  This conspicuous
insect-eating bird is endemic to northern Colombia and Venezuela.
Magdalena Department, Colombia. 

Pied Puffbird (Notharchus tectus) is a striking,
black and white relative of the Russet-throated Puffbird.
Magdalena Department, Colombia. 

Some of the most iconic birds of the tropics are the trogons, toucans and quetzals.  These large and colorful birds would appear with a flash of color, sit for a moment and fly on.  We found Keel-billed Toucans (Ramphastos sulfuratus), two species of toucanet (Aulacorhynchus sp), and Gartered Trogons (Trogon caligatus) during our travels.

 

A male Gartered Trogon (Trogon caligatus). 
Magdalena Department, Colombia. 

Keel-billed Toucan.
Tayrona National Park, Colombia.

Southern Emerald Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus albivitta).
El Dorado Nature Reserve, Colombia.

Grove-billed Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus sulcatus) is endemic to
northern Colombia and Venezuela. 
Magdalena Department, Colombia.

One of the bird highlights of the trip was in Tayrona National Park where Angel showed us a male Blue-billed Curassow (Crax alberti).  This black, turkey-sized bird with shaggy crest and a blue bill was partially hidden in a large tree.  The Blue-billed Curassow is critically endangered and is such an iconic Colombian bird it graces the cover of the standard field guide for the country.  We also saw a large, red-crested woodpecker, the Crimson-crested Woodpecker (Campephilius melanoleucos).  This impressive creature is a relative of the now extinct Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilius principalis). 

 

Blue-billed Curassow (Crax alberti). This endangered endemic
was resting in a large tree.
Tayrona National Park, Colombia. 

Blue-billed Curassow on the cover of 
Bird of Colombia.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Joe Poston.

Crimson-crested Woodpecker (Campephilius melanoleucos).
Tayrona National Park. Colombia. 

In Tayrona National Park we also saw two species of manakins doing their mating dances.  Manakins are small, colorful birds and the males display their dancing skills in a special location called a lek.  We watched male Lance-tailed Manakins (Chiroxiphia lanceolata) jump over each to impress the females.  We also saw a White-bearded Manakin (Manacus manacus).  The males of this species have white feathers on their throat that give them their name. 

A male Lance-tailed Manakin (Chiroxiphia lanceolata) on the lek.
Tayrona National Park, Colombia. 

A male White-bearded Manakin (Manacus manacus).
Tayrona National Park, Colombia. 

Colombia boasts over 150 species of hummingbirds, the greatest hummingbird diversity in the world.   We experienced only a handful of them, but what gems they were.   As we ascended into the Sierra Madre de Santa Marta the number of hummingbirds species picked up.  Around the foothills town of Minca we saw Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds (Amazilia tzacatl), White-necked Jacobins (Florisuga mellivora) and White-vented Plumeleteers (Chalybura buffonii).  Along the road above Minca we found a tiny flycatcher, the Pale-eyed Pygmy-tyrant (Atalotriccus pilaris) catching insects as well as striking Crimson-backed Tanagers (Ramphocelus dimidiatus) and Chestnut-capped Warblers (Basileuterus delattrii).  

A Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl)
showing its rufous tail. 
Magdalena Department, Colombia. 

White-necked Jacobin (Florisuga mellivora).
Magdalena Department, Colombia. 

White-vented Plumeleteer (Chalybura buffonii).
Magdalena Department, Colombia. 

Pale-eyed Pygmy-tyrant (Atalotriccus pilaris). 
Magdalena Department, Colombia. 

The Crimson-backed Tanager (Ramphocelus dimidiatus)
is black and deep red with a shining, silver beak.
Magdalena Department, Colombia. 

This Chestnut-capped Warbler (Basileuterus delattrii)
was peeking at us from the undergrowth.
Magdalena Department, Colombia. 

As we climbed higher the forest became wetter and wilder.  Our next stop was the El Dorado Nature Reserve with spectacular views of the glacier capped Sierra Nevada and montane forests. This area has a large number of endemic birds and we saw many.  Hummingbirds were in abundance at El Dorado and birds, large and small showed themselves as Angel guided us along the mountain trails.  

Brown Violetear (Colibri delphinae).
El Dorado Nature Reserve, Colombia. 

Lesser Violetear (Colibri cyanotus).
El Dorado Nature Reserve, Colombia. 

Sparkling Violetear (Colibri coruscans) has long purple ear feathers.
El Dorado Nature Reserve, Colombia. 

Crowned Woodnymph (Thalurania colombica).
El Dorado Nature Reserve, Colombia. 

The Yellow-crowned Redstart (Myioborus flavivertex) is
endemic to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
El Dorado Nature Reserve, Colombia. 

A family emergency caused me to leave that mountain in Colombia and return to the US.  But this brief visit allowed me to see birds found no where else and to experience birds I have seen before in other parts of the neotropics in a whole new context.  The Colombian people were, without exception, kind and generous and welcomed us wherever we went.  I am looking forward to a return to Colombia.

Our group at the base of a giant rainforest tree.
Tayrona National Park, Colombia.