Birds
By November, fall migration has usually ended. Wood Thrushes have disappeared, replaced by the melodic Hermit Thrush, which will remain until spring. November also marks the return of juncos and several sparrow species, including Tree, Fox, White-throated, and White-crowned Sparrows. You can also expect to see a greater diversity of ducks, especially Common Goldeneyes and Hooded Mergansers. If you are very lucky, you might catch a glimpse of Short-eared Owls or Northern Saw-whet Owls, both of which are occasionally seen in the Triangle during the winter months.
Woodpeckers live in the Piedmont year-round, with one notable exception: the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius). These active birds can be recognized by their black-and-white back and wings, a red forehead, and a yellowish wash on the breast; males also have a red throat. Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are well known for drilling neat rows of small “wells” in tree bark. They lap up sap and feed on cambium, and the wells also attract insects—creating feeding opportunities for other birds as well.
Butterflies
Butterfly sightings typically decline this month, but you may still see a few sulphurs and whites (family Pieridae).
Remember: the Carolinas are home to five butterfly families—skippers (Hesperiidae), gossamer-wings (Lycaenidae), brushfoots (Nymphalidae), swallowtails (Papilionidae), and sulphurs and whites (Pieridae). Each family includes subfamilies with distinctive identifying traits.
This month’s focus is a brushfoot subfamily: the milkweed butterflies (Danainae). Danaids are boldly colored in black and orange. Males have distinct black spots or patches on each hindwing called andoconium, which release pheromones. Caterpillars are finely striped in black, white, and yellow.
Three milkweed butterfly species occur in North Carolina: Monarch, Queen, and Soldier. Queen and Soldier sightings are largely coastal, though Queens have been recorded in Durham County. Their caterpillars feed strictly on plants in the milkweed family, including Asclepias (e.g., butterflyweed, common milkweed), Matelea (e.g., common anglepod, maroon Carolina milkvine), and Cynanchum (e.g., coastal sand-vine). Because milkweed-family plants contain toxic compounds, both caterpillars and adults are mildly toxic and distasteful to many predators. Adults nectar at a variety of flowers.
Reptiles and amphibians
Expect to see a few copperheads warming on roads at night this month. Also keep an eye out for red-backed salamanders and box turtles. (One copperhead observation included here comes from Orange County, North Carolina, in November 2007.)
Other insects
By November, crickets and cicadas quiet down for the winter, and orb-weaver spiders largely disappear. While hiking, watch for lingering wasps and yellow jackets.
In bloom this month
Be on the lookout for these November fruits and flowers.
In bloom
Bearded beggarsticks – Bidens aristosa
Blue mistflower – Conoclinium coelestinum
White wood-aster – Eurybia divaricata
Witch-hazel – Hamamelis virginiana
Scarlet rose-mallow – Hibiscus coccineus
Black-eyed Susan – Rudbeckia fulgida
Goldenrods – Solidago spp.
Frost asters – Symphyotrichum spp.
In fruit
Persimmon – Diospyros virginiana
Beautyberry – Callicarpa americana
Hearts-a-bustin’ – Euonymus americanus
American holly – Ilex opaca
Coral honeysuckle – Lonicera sempervirens
Passionflower – Passiflora spp.
Fox grapes – Vitis labrusca
Muscadines – Vitis rotundifolia
References
Cook D. 2001. The Piedmont Almanac. Chapel Hill (NC): Mystic Crow Publishing.
Daniels JC. 2003. Butterflies of the Carolinas. Cambridge (MN): Adventure Publications, Inc.
LeGrand HE Jr. 2009. Notes on the Butterflies of North Carolina.
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