Birds
This month, watch for sunning birds. Common backyard species—like Northern Cardinals and American Robins—may perch with feathers fluffed and bills agape, soaking in the sun. This behavior may help with molting and may also reduce ticks, lice, and other parasite loads.
Fledging season continues, too. Second broods of Eastern Bluebirds often fledge in June, and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Prothonotary Warblers, House Wrens, Tufted Titmice, and even Bald Eagles have been documented fledging in the Piedmont this month.
By now, many sparrows (Savannah, Lincoln’s, Swamp, White-throated, and White-crowned) have left North Carolina and won’t return in numbers until September. Still, lucky birders may spot rare Little Blue Herons or Caspian Terns passing through.
Have you ever noticed a crow with a strikingly nasal call? You may have heard a Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus). North Carolina’s Piedmont is home to two crow species: the American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos), with its clear “caw,” and the Fish Crow. They’re difficult to separate by sight—both are year-round residents with all-black plumage. Fish Crows are slightly smaller with a thinner bill, but the most reliable field mark is by ear.
And a simple, powerful reminder: give fledglings a fighting chance by keeping cats indoors.
Butterflies
June is a busy nectar month. On common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) alone, you may see multiple butterfly visitors, including Great Spangled Fritillaries, Tiger Swallowtails, Monarchs, and Silver-spotted Skippers. Several species reach peak abundance in June, including Coral and Banded Hairstreaks and Great Spangled Fritillaries. By the end of the month, expect Little Yellows, Gulf Fritillaries, and increasing numbers of Common Wood-Nymphs.
The North Carolina Piedmont hosts multiple broods of Variegated Fritillaries, and with fritillary activity peaking this month, it’s a good time to learn the caterpillars. Variegated Fritillary caterpillars are longitudinally striped with orange and white bands and sparsely peppered with black spines. They can be found on violets and passionflower vines. Great Spangled Fritillaries are also on the wing in June, though they typically don’t begin laying eggs until late summer and early fall. Their black caterpillars—with orange spines—can sometimes be found on violets in winter and early spring.
Don’t forget: the Carolinas are home to five butterfly families—skippers (Hesperiidae), gossamer-wings (Lycaenidae), brushfoots (Nymphalidae), swallowtails (Papilionidae), and sulphurs and whites (Pieridae). Each family contains subfamilies with distinct identifying characteristics.
Reptiles and amphibians
Don’t be surprised to see snakes this month—sometimes in surprising places. Black ratsnakes may climb trees in search of eggs. Northern Watersnakes can end up high in riparian shrubs after heavy rain. And pale peach-and-cream Copperheads may appear on driveways in the evening, using warm concrete and asphalt to absorb heat.
Many reptiles lay eggs in June, including box turtles, Yellow-bellied Sliders, and several snake species. Fence lizards and skinks are abundant. You may still hear large choruses of Northern Cricket Frogs, Fowler’s Toads, Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toads, and Cope’s Gray Treefrogs, along with Bullfrogs and Green Frogs. Newly metamorphosed Fowler’s Toads may be hopping around early in the month, and by the end of June you may spot tiny (about 1 cm) Cope’s Gray Treefrogs.
Other insects
At night, look for tiny green-winged stoneflies and giant stoneflies gathering around lights. Giant stoneflies—gray-bodied insects up to about 1.5 inches long with distinctly netted wing veins—can look intimidating but are harmless. Adults live only a few weeks and don’t feed at all. Their larvae are sensitive to pollution, so finding giant stoneflies in a stream is often a sign of healthy water.
Damselflies are also abundant now. They resemble dragonflies but typically fold their wings when they land. Watch for Ebony Jewelwings: males have deep black wings and iridescent green bodies, while females show a telltale white spot near the tip of each wing. Another standout is the American Rubyspot, with clear wings washed red near the base and an army-green body.
Luna moths have been observed emerging at the beginning of June. By the end of the month, Io moths—famous for the bold eyespots on their hindwings—may also appear.
In bloom this month
Be on the lookout for June flowers and their pollinators, including a variety of bees, wasps, beetles, and true bugs.
Tall thimbleweed – Anemone virginiana
Milkweeds – Asclepias spp.
New Jersey tea – Ceanothus americanus
Spotted wintergreen – Chimaphila maculata
Green-and-gold – Chrysogonum virginianum
Tick-trefoils – Desmodium spp.
Mock strawberry – Duchesnia indica
Eastern daisy fleabane – Erigeron annuus
White avens – Geum canadense
St. Andrew’s-cross – Hypericum hypericoides
Sessile blazing-star – Liatris spicata
Milkvines – Matelea spp.
Southern sundrops – Oenothera fruticosa
Passionflowers – Passiflora spp.
American lopseed – Phryma leptostachya
Hooked buttercup – Ranunculus recurvatus
Black-eyed Susan – Rudbeckia hirta
Elderberries – Sambucus spp.
Skullcaps – Scutellaria sp.
Fire-pink – Silene virginica
Indian-pink – Spigelia marilandica
Stokes’ aster – Stokesia laevis
Smooth spiderwort – Tradescantia ohiensis
Piedmont habitats
Have you ever wanted to identify a forest or habitat by a few key cues? Close observation of species composition (which species are present) and structure (their spacing and size) can reveal a lot about a place. For example, xeric (dry) Piedmont forests can often be recognized by blackjack oak and chestnut oak. Dry-mesic sites (slightly drier than intermediate) are often associated with post oak, black oak, and southern red oak.
References
Burt WH, Grossenheider RP. 1980. A Field Guide to the Mammals. 3rd ed. Boston (MA): Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cook D. 2001. The Piedmont Almanac. Raleigh (NC): Barefoot Press.
Conant R, Collins JT. 1991. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians: Eastern and Central North America. Boston (MA): Houghton Mifflin Company.
Daniels JC. 2003. Butterflies of the Carolinas. Cambridge (MN): Adventure Publications, Inc.
Ehrlich P, Dobkin D, Wheye D. 1988. The Birder’s Handbook. New York (NY): Simon & Schuster.
Goodpaster WW, Hoffmeister DF. 1954. Life History of the golden mouse, Peromyscus nuttalli, in Kentucky. Journal of Mammalogy. 35(1):16–27.
Wagner DL. 2005. Caterpillars of Eastern North America. Princeton (NJ): Princeton University Press.
Sense of Place 