Walking Weymouth Woods

 

Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Dryobates borealis)
at a nest hole in a Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris).
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina.  

Longleaf Pines (Pinus palustris) tower over drought tolerant plants that grow from the sandy soil. Threatened Red-cockaded Woodpeckers (Dryobates borealis) fly between the trees.  This is the Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, located in Moore County North Carolina.  The Sandhills run along the inland edge of the Coastal Plain from Georgia to Virginia. They are the remains of ancient windblown dunes and sand sheets formed when sea levels were higher than today.  The rainwater drains quickly through the sand creating a home for a unique assemblage of plants and animals.   

Longleaf Pines.
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina. 

Longleaf Pine forest.  The trees have been scorched by fire at their bases.
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina.

Starting down the trail at Weymouth Woods it feels like you are in a park ,with scattered pines and an open understory.  The Longleaf Pine ecosystem is maintained by fire that kills the hardwood trees which would otherwise overtake and replace the pines.  Evidence of fire is found at the base of the pines whose thick, scaly bark keeps the trees from being consumed.

Yellow Wild Indigo (Baptisia tinctoria). 
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina.

Goat's Rue (Tephrosia virginiana).
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve North Carolina.
 

Spurge Nettle (Cnidoscolus stimulosus). 
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina.  

Maryland Meadow Beauty (Rhexia mariana). 
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina.  

Wildflowers abound in Weymouth Woods.  Members of the pea family, the Fabaceae, like Yellow Wild Indigo (Baptisia tinctoria) and Goat’s Rue (Tephrosia virginiana) grow well in the dry Sandhill soil.  Spurge Nettle (Cnidoscolus stimulosus) and Maryland Rhexia (Rhexia mariana) plants flower along the trails.

Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium).
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina. 

Threadleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata).
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina.

 

White-topped Aster (Sericocarpus sp.).
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina. 

Composites (family Asteraceae) like the impressive Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium), yellow flowered Threadleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis vericillata) and the delicate White-topped Aster (Seriococarpus sp.) brighten up the woods. 

James Creek.
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina. 

Sweet Bay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana).
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina. 

Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata).  The white spots
on the tips of the wing show this is a female Ebony Jewelwing. 
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina. 

James Creek trickles through Weymouth Woods and the trail crosses this small stream in several places. The creek supports an array of plants that require more water, like Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana).  Ebony Jewelwings (Calopteryx maculata), brilliant black and blue damselflies flutter in the cool shade.   

Cottonmouth (Agkistridon piscivorus)
swimming across James Creek.
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina. 

The creek also harbors Cottonmouths, also known as Water Moccasins (Akistrodon piscivorus), a venomous pit viper.  In fact, one of the bridges across James Creek is called Moccasin Crossing.  One day Diane and I were hiking along the creek and happened upon one of these snakes.  We jumped back in surprise as the snake slid into the water and swam away. 

This female Eastern Towhee (Piplio erythrophthalmus)
is a member of  the white-eyed subspecies.
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina. 

A brilliant male Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra)
peeking around a branch. 
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina.
 

This Great-crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus)
was carrying a feather to its nest hole.  
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina. 

Eastern Wood Pewee (Contopus virens).
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina. 

Birds are abundant in the pine forest and along the creek.  White-eyed Eastern Towhees (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) call from the undergrowth.  The Sandhills are the inland limit of this Coastal Plain subspecies's range.  Summer Tanagers (Piranga rubra) give their “pit-i-tuck” call from the trees, Great-crested Flycatchers (Myiarchus crinitus) pop in and out of their nest holes and Eastern Wood Pewees (Contopus virens) sing their plaintive “pee-oh-wee” song as they look for insects. 

Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor).
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina. 

Common Nighthawks (Chordeiles minor) usually hunt at night but will sometimes fly during the day.  We were lucky enough to see them perform their impressive aerial mating display.  A male Nighthawk will climb to an impressive height than swoop toward the ground.  As it dives, air passing through wing feathers makes a roar like a speeding racecar.  This is known as booming and is done to attract female Nighthawks and to warn off trespassing males.  

Bachman's Sparrow (Peucaea aestivalis).
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina. 

Bachman’s Sparrows (Peucaea aestivalis) are specialists of the Southeastern pine forests.  They range from Texas to North Carolina and are a near threatened species.  These sparrows will sing from low branches of pines, but they spend much of their time on the ground where they forage and build their nests.  

Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus).
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina.

Woodpeckers are common in Weymouth Woods including Red-headed Woodpeckers (Melanerpes erythrocephalus).  These bold black, white and red birds light on the tree trunks and chisel out insects.  

 

Red-cockaded Woodpecker.
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina.

Perhaps the most charismatic creature of Weymouth Woods is the Red-cockaded Woodpecker.  About 12,000 of these threatened birds are found in colonies from Virginia to Texas. The Red-cockaded Woodpecker has a black and white ladder back, black cap and a large white cheek patch.  Males have a small red patch of feathers behind the eye, the cockade, that is rarely visible. 

 

Red-cockaded Woodpecker visiting its nest hole. 
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina.

Red-cockaded Woodpecker flying from its nest hole.
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina.

These medium-sized woodpeckers have very specific habitat requirements.  They nest only in mature, living Longleaf Pines that have a fungal infection called red heart disease.  The fungus causes the heartwood of the pine to become soft, making nest excavation easier.  Red-cockaded Woodpeckers drill small holes in the bark of a nest tree that ooze sticky pine sap.  The resinous sap makes it difficult for snakes to climb to the nest hole and eat the baby woodpeckers. This flowing sap also colors the tree trunk white and makes the nest trees easy to spot.  Red-cockaded Woodpeckers are cooperative breeders.  A breeding pair is assisted by their young from pervious nesting seasons who incubate eggs then feed the hatchlings.  The Red-cockaded Woodpeckers are the subject of intensive scientific study and most have colored plastic bands on their legs to allow identification in the field. 

Red-cockaded Woodpecker nest tree.
Dripping sap stains the tree white around the nest hole.
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina. 

Longleaf Pines forests once covered 90,000,000 acres in the Southeast.  The trees can reach 150 feet in height and live for hundreds of years.  Today only about 5% of this forest remains.  Intense economic use of Longleaf Pines began in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Longleaf Pines were tapped to produce turpentine and resin.  The trees were cut down to make masts for sailing ships and they were milled for lumber.  The coming of railroads in the late 1800s allowed massive clear cutting of the forest and fire suppression let hardwoods replace the pines.  Weymouth Woods gives us a glimpse of the forest that was, with its botanical wonders and fascinating fauna.

Sandhills Longleaf pine forest.
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, North Carolina.

Blonde Hawk

 

Florida Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus extimus) 
showing its pale head and light breast. 
Palm Beach County, Florida. 

There are some odd looking Red-shouldered Hawks (Buteo lineatus) in Florida.  Red-shouldered Hawks are found across Eastern North America and along the west coast.  Most Red-shouldered Hawks have dark brown heads, reddish breasts, barred tails, a checkerboard pattern on the wings and the reddish-brown feathers on their shoulders that given them their name.  But the hawks in Florida are unique.  They are distinguished by light breasts and pale heads. I think they look like blondes.  These Florida hawks belong to their own subspecies, Buteo lineatus extimus, and are found across the peninsula. 

Red-shouldered Hawks, in Florida and elsewhere, are medium sized raptors that are usually associated with forests near freshwater. They often sit quietly on a perch watching for small mammals, insects, birds or reptiles then swoop in to catch their prey.  Red-shouldered Hawks are quite vocal, giving loud, repeated screams.  In the mating season, pairs have impressive mating flights that involve soaring and calling.  They make stick nests high in trees and typically lay 3-4 eggs.  Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawks can be told from adults by their heavily streaked breasts.     

The eastern subspecies of Red-shouldered Hawk 
(Buteo linearus linearus) has a dark brown head and 
reddish breast. 
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Eastern subspecies of Red-shouldered Hawk preparing to take flight.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Eastern subspecies of Red-shouldered Hawk lifting off.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Eastern form of Red-shouldered Hawk on nest.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Eastern form of Red-shouldered Hawk 
hunting from a perch. 
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Immature Red-shouldered Hawk,
eastern subspecies.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

The Florida Red-shouldered Hawks are smaller than their northern and western relatives and can use more open habitats than others of their species.  These include the Sawgrass (Cladium mariscus) marshes of the Everglades and prairies with ponds and scattered trees. 

Florida Red-shouldered Hawk.
Palm Beach County, Florida. 

The Florida Red-shouldered Hawks not only look different from other Red-shouldered Hawks they are genetically distinct.  This divergence from the rest of the continent’s Red-shouldered Hawks probably happened when the Florida birds were isolated during the last ice age.   

Florida form of Red-shouldered Hawk.
Palm Beach County, Florida. 

I always enjoy seeing these blonde Red-shouldered Hawks when visiting Florida.  They look quite elegant perched on branch, looking for the next meal.

 

Pollen Season

 

Pine (Pinus sp.) pollen coating a car.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Every spring pollen fills the air.  On some days you can see pine trees exhaling yellow clouds of microscopic pollen grains.  Pollen coats cars, and other outdoor surfaces and it aggravates allergies of multitudes of people.  What is going on? Why is it seasonal?  How does it cause the discomfort of allergies? 

Pollen dusting the lid of a trash can.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Pollen grains are produced by most seed plants, and each contains a sperm nucleus, the plant's male gamete.  The pollen is transferred to another cone or flower, often on another plant, and there it may fertilize an egg cell giving rise to the next generation.  Some plants use pollinators such as insects, birds or mammals to carry pollen.  Others release their pollen into the air.  Wind pollination is inefficient so lots of pollen must be produced. This wind pollination is the source of pollen season problems.     

Male flowers of Red Maple (Acer rubra).
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Pollen season starts in our part of the world in late winter.  Maples (Acer sp.) start to flower in late February or early March.  Red Maple (Acer rubra) makes separate male and female flowers on the same tree.  The male flowers have anthers that dangle in the breeze and shed their pollen.  Female flowers are fertilized, and in a few weeks, tiny, winged fruits emerge from the female flowers. 

A pollen producing male catkin
of River Birch (Betula nigra).
Rowan County, North Carolina.  

River Birch (Betula nigra) is another early tree that releases pollen.  Like the maples, River Birch has separate male and female flowers on the same tree.  The male, pollen releasing flowers are borne on cylindrical, hanging bunches of flowers called catkins.  

Male cones of Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda).
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Male cones of Loblolly Pine that have released 
their pollen and fallen from the tree.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Pines (Pinus sp.) probably produce more pollen than the other spring trees.  Pines are conifers and do not have flowers but release pollen from male cones.  These are smaller than female cones and each cone can make many thousands of pollen grains.  These float through the air and a small number land on the female cones that produces the pine seeds.  Pines are the main culprits in giving that yellow dusting to our cars in spring. 

Catkins on a male tree of Black Willow (Salix nigra).
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Black Willow (Salix nigra) is a flowering tree that prefers to grow near water.  It has separate male and female trees and in the spring catkins on the male trees release pollen.  Some of this pollen pollenates flowers on female trees but much of it lands on the surface of water.  This pollen can form rafts that are pushed around by the wind.  After a few weeks cottony fruits float from the female trees to disperse the willow.    

Male catkins of Willow Oak (Quercus phellos).
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Oaks (Quercus sp.) are magnificent trees and also produce abundant, airborne pollen.  Oaks make separate male and female flowers on the same tree.  The male flowers are in catkins and the product of wind pollination is the familiar acorn.  After the pollen has been released the catkins fall off the tree and accumulate in windrows beneath the tree and clog gutters on houses.  

Male Catkins of White Oak (Quercus alba).
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Airborne tree pollen is a major cause of spring allergies.  We know the symptoms; runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing, shortness of breath.  Pollen that is inhaled can evokes an immune response that causes all these problems. Our immune system recognizes pollen as foreign and releases powerful chemicals like histamine and cytokines.  This response causes the side effects we experience as allergies.  Not all wind pollenated trees are to blame though. Oaks, willows, maples, birches and other trees can all cause allergic reactions, but pines usually do not.  While pines produce great clouds of pollen, but most people do not react to it.    

Masses of oaks catkins littering a street.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Plants are going about their reproductive business in pollen season.  Many organizations, including several weather forecasting groups track pollen levels and report on them each day.   Climate change has caused plants to flower earlier in the year and prolonged this season of discomfort.  But as summer comes along, the pollen season passes and so do the allergies. 

Oak catkins that have shed their pollen mark
the end of spring pollen season.
Rowan County, North Carolina.

Easter Rabbits

Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) playing the
role of the Easter Bunny.
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
Photo courtesy of Mr. Steve Kline. 

The Easter Bunny is the most enduring secular symbol of Easter. Children eagerly await this character of spring who delivers colored eggs, not to mention candy.  The Easter Bunny started in medieval Germany as the Easter Hare that judged children’s behavior and rewarded those that were good, much like Santa with his naughty and nice list. 

Real rabbits and hares are classified in the family Leporidae and they are found worldwide.  Exotic rabbits and hares have been introduced to Australia and Pacific Islands including New Zealand where they have become invasive pests.  North America is home to about a dozen rabbit and hare species.  Hares are larger than rabbits, have larger hind feet and longer ears.  Hares are born with fur while baby rabbits lack fur, and hares make nests in shallow depressions while rabbits dig burrows to have their young. 

Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus).
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California.
Photo courtesy of Mr. Jim Guyton. 

North American hosts four species of hares. Three of these hares are called jackrabbits, the White-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii), the Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus) and the Antelope Jackrabbit (Lepus alleni).  Jackrabbits are found in western North America.  They are light brown, with long ears that dissipate heat in these warm climes.  Their long back legs and large feet allow jackrabbits to jump up to 10 feet and they can run at more than 30 miles per hour.   

Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus).
Denali National Park, Alaska 

The fourth North American hare is the Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus). Snowshoe Hares live in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions and extend their range south along mountain ranges. These hares are brown in summer but molt and grow in a white winter coat to blend in with the snow.  Snowshoe Hares share large hind feet with jackrabbits, but their ears are smaller to conserve heat in their cold arctic or alpine homes.  

Eastern Cottontail.
Ecola State Park, Oregon. 

Cottontails are a group of rabbits native to North, Central and South America.  The Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) is the most widespread of the cottontails ranging from the Great Plains east to the Atlantic and from southern Canada to Florida, Texas, Arizona and south into the tropics.  Eastern Cottontails have also been introduced in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and southern British Colombia.  Eastern Cottontails are about half the size of jackrabbits and have brown fur, prominent ears and a white, fluffy tail that gives them their name.  Like all rabbits and hares, Eastern Cottontails can have multiple litters per year and each litter may have up to a dozen young.     

Desert Cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii). 
Pima County, Arizona. 

The Desert Cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii) is smaller and paler than the Eastern Cottontail. It is found from the high plains of the United States west to the Pacific, south into Mexico but is absent in the Northwest.  

Marsh Rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris).
Palm Beach County, Florida 

Marsh Rabbits (Sylvilagus palustris) are an interesting cottontail found only on the Southeastern Coastal Plain.  They range from Southern Virginia to Alabama and the whole peninsula of Florida.  They are smaller and darker than Eastern Cottontails.  Marsh Rabbits are always live near water, and they are strong swimmers.  While most rabbits hop, Marsh Rabbits tend to walk, making it easier for them to move through the thick vegetation of their marsh home.  

The Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a predator of
rabbits and hares throughout its range. 
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Coyotes (Canis latrans) are important
predators of rabbits and hares across North America. 
Pima County, Arizona. 

The Bobcat (Lynx rufus) is yet another
predator of the Leporidae.
Palm Beach County, Florida. 

This Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
has caught a young Eastern Cottontail. 
Rowan County, North Carolina.

Rabbits and hares have a high reproductive rate. This is necessary because they have many predators. These include foxes, wolves, coyotes, wild cats, snakes, hawks, owls and even alligators.  When environmental conditions are right rabbit and hare populations can increase dramatically.  Arctic hares have a boom-and-bust population cycle. When food is abundant the hares have many young and this means their predator's populations will increase in sync.  After a few years the populations of both predator and prey collapse. 

Marsh Rabbit.
Palm Beach County, Florida. 

Rabbits and hares have been associated with spring for millennia.  As with many religious holidays, our Easter celebration incorporates more ancient pagan symbols into the season.  Thus, the Easter Bunny. But beyond the idealized Bunny that is overwhelming in the retail environment, there are real rabbits and hares out there carrying on as they always have. 

Thanks to Steve Kline and Jim Guyton for kindly allowing me to use their rabbit pictures in this blog. 

A Toxic Trio

 

Wild Poinsettia (Euphorbia cyathophora).
Palm Beach County, Florida. 

Florida, with its subtropical climate, has an array of fascinating plants.  It also has more than its share of invasive species from all over the tropical world.  Orchard View Park in Delray Beach has a mix of native and introduced plants. Three of these plants stand out because they are visually striking but also poisonous.

Air Potato (Dioscorea bulbifera) leaves.
Palm Beach County, Florida. 

 

A single heart-shaped leaf of Air Potato.
Palm Beach County, Florida.  

An Air Potato bulbil.
Palm Beach County, Florida. 

Air Potato (Dioscorea bulbifera) is a vine native to Africa, Asia and Australia.  It is classified in the true Yam family, the Dioscoreaceae.  These yams should not be confused with Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas) which is in the Morning Glory family, the Convolvulaceae.  Air Potato was introduced to Florida in an Orlando area botanical garden in 1905, but it escaped and is now found throughout the peninsula. This vine rambles over bushes and grows high into the trees.  It has shiny, heart-shaped leaves and a stem that produces large, potato-like structures called bulbils.  Air Potato plants make several physiologically active compounds including the steroid diosgenin.  Diosgenin is the starting material for several medically important steroids including contraceptives.  While the Florida Air Potato is considered toxic, other varieties around the world are used for food, but the bulbils must be boiled before eating to make them safe.

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Crab's Eye (Abrus precatorius) leaves
and dried fruits containing seeds.
Palm Beach County, Florida. 

Another toxic invasive plant in the park is Crab’s Eye (Abrus precatorius).  This member of the Fabaceae, the Pea family, has compound leaves and the peapod-like fruits contain the seeds that give the plant its name.  The seeds are brilliant red with large black spots like the eyes of some fever dream crab.  The bright seeds are used in some tropical countries to make beads, giving rise to another common name, Rosary Pea.  But these seeds contain abrin, a toxic protein.  Abrin is so poisonous that consuming a single seed can be lethal.  The seeds of this plant are sometimes used as means of suicide in India where the plant is native.  Crab’s Eye has been introduced to tropical and subtropical locations worldwide.   

Wild Poinsettia flowers and leavers.
Palm Beach County, Florida. 

The third toxic plant in the park is Wild Poinsettia (Euphorbia cyathophora).  The Wild Poinsettia flowers are small, yellow and green.  These flowers are set off by the bright red and green bracts below the flowers. Wild Poinsettia is native to tropical and subtropical America and is naturally found in Florida.  It is a close relative of the ubiquitous Poinsettia of Christmas fame (Euphorbia pulcherrima).   The stems and leaves of Wild Poinsettia contain a white, milky latex that can cause contact dermatitis, eye irritation and in rare cases of anaphylaxis.   

Fruits and seeds of Crab's Eye.
Palm Beach County, Florida. 

Since plants are rooted in the ground and cannot flee from danger, they must rely on other means to protect themselves from being eaten by animals.  One way they do this is to produce toxic compounds to protect themselves from hungry herbivores. The latex of Wild Poinsettia and the steroids of Air Potato are good examples of this type of chemical protection.  Even the deadly toxin abrin made by Crab’s Eye will cause gastrointestinal distress in low doses and discourage grazing animals.  I enjoy these plants and appreciate their protective adaptations but from a distance.  I definitely don’t eat them.