Birds
September brings an early pulse of winter residents back to the Piedmont, including Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, occasional Red-breasted Nuthatches, and a suite of wrens (Winter, Sedge, and Marsh) and sparrows (Swamp and White-throated). Ruby-crowned Kinglets—tiny olive-gray birds with a bright red crown patch (usually hidden)—also return this month after spending the summer in conifer forests of Canada and the northern United States. Migrant warblers continue to pass through North Carolina as they head toward the Neotropics. Birders may even spot Snowy Egrets, Little Blue Herons, and Tricolored Herons, which won’t return to the Piedmont in numbers again until early April.
Not all birds need to drink water. Hummingbirds, for example, rely heavily on nectar to stay hydrated. Some birds in arid regions may drink very little, while most species do drink to replace fluids lost through breathing and waste. Drinking styles vary: doves often submerge their bills and “suck” water up, while many other birds sip and then tip their heads back to swallow. Smaller birds may also take advantage of dew droplets.
Butterflies
This time of year, butterflies can be surprisingly abundant. Look for familiar September standouts: Hackberry Emperors gleaning sap from trees, Tiger Swallowtails “puddling” for salts and nutrients, and Pearl Crescents—whose caterpillars feed almost exclusively on asters.
Expect a pulse of Cloudless Sulphurs, Little Yellows, and Sleepy Oranges this month. Swallowtail sightings often drop off by mid-month, with Black Swallowtails as a frequent exception. You may also see Gray and Red-banded Hairstreaks, Gulf and Variegated Fritillaries, and an uptick in Viceroy sightings. Monarchs may appear as they migrate south toward their overwintering sites in Mexico.
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 multiple subfamilies with distinctive traits.
This month’s featured group is the hairstreaks (subfamily Theclinae), small, intricately patterned members of the gossamer-wing family. Hairstreaks are named for the fine, hair-like tails at the end of each hindwing. Those tails—paired with bright eyespots—can trick predators into striking the wing tips rather than the butterfly’s body. Hairstreaks often perch with wings closed and may move their hindwings up and down in a way that enhances the “false head” illusion. Gray Hairstreaks (Strymon melinus), the most widespread and commonly seen hairstreak in North Carolina, are especially abundant in September. Look for blue-gray underwings with bright orange spots and a dark tail tipped in white. They favor open sites, and the larvae feed on partridge pea, vetch, clovers, and other legumes.
Reptiles and amphibians
Keep an eye out for snakes and turtles—especially baby box turtles. Skinks and toads are also active. You may still hear frogs and toads calling this month, though large choruses typically won’t ramp up again until January.
Other insects
September often brings an increase in praying mantis and spider activity. Praying mantises lay eggs in a frothy mass that hardens into an ootheca, while female garden spiders (Argiope aurantia) may be found guarding egg cases.
In bloom this month
In bloom
Wingstem – Actinomeris alternifolia
White snakeroot – Ageratina altissima
Partridge pea – Chamaecrista fasciculata
Turtlehead – Chelone glabra
Beechdrops – Epifagus virginiana
Devil’s-grandmother – Elephantopus tomentosus
Boneset – Eupatorium perfoliatum
Black-eyed Susan – Rudbeckia spp.
Trailing wild bean – Strophostyles helvula
Great lobelia – Lobelia siphilitica
Downy lobelia – Lobelia puberula
Small skullcap – Scutellaria parvula
Axillary goldenrod – Solidago caesia
Goldenrods – Solidago spp.
In fruit
Persimmon – Diospyros virginiana
Hearts-a-bustin’ – Euonymus americanus
Muscadines – Vitis rotundifolia
Wildlife profile: Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix)
This month’s wildlife profile is the Copperhead, the most widespread of North Carolina’s six venomous snakes. Copperheads likely occur in every county in the state and are distributed widely across the southeastern United States. Often called “highland moccasins,” they inhabit wooded areas from riparian corridors to ridgetops. They may also use more open habitats and can be fairly tolerant of human development, sometimes frequenting brush piles, abandoned buildings, and other edge habitat.
Copperheads are stout, moderately large vipers that can reach nearly 4.5 feet. Adults are typically pinkish-brown with darker, hourglass-shaped crossbands. Newborns (neonates) have bright greenish-yellow tail tips. Copperheads may mate in spring and fall and give birth to about a dozen live young in September and October. In autumn, they may gather to den communally—sometimes with other snake species—to better endure colder months. Usually quiet and retiring, they can strike vigorously if harassed.
Did you know?
Copperheads in the North Carolina Piedmont are intergrades of Northern Copperheads (A. c. mokasen) and Southern Copperheads (A. c. contortrix).
Vipers are often identified by triangular heads and vertical pupils; many non-venomous snakes have round pupils.
Copperheads in North Carolina eat a wide range of prey, including cicadas, caterpillars, frogs, toads, birds, mice, shrews, voles, lizards, hatchling box turtles, ringneck snakes, and worm snakes.
References
National Audubon Society. 1980. Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders. New York (NY): Chanticleer Press.
Conant R, Collins JT. 1991. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians: Eastern and Central North America. Boston (MA): Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cook D. 2001. The Piedmont Almanac. Chapel Hill (NC): Mystic Crow Publishing.
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.
LeGrand HE Jr. 2009. Notes on the Butterflies of North Carolina.
Palmer WM, Braswell AL. 1995. Reptiles of North Carolina. Chapel Hill (NC): University of North Carolina Press.
Sense of Place 