March 2011 Photos

Field and Swamp: Animals and Their Habitats

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March 2011

Durham, NC 3/26/11

Winter Cress. It first appeared on 3/24/11

Eno River State Park, Old Cole Mill Rd. access, Orange County, NC 3/24/11

Dark Fishing Spider (Dolomedes tenebrosus), seen near river bank. Juvenal's Duskywing Cutleaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata) Rue Anemone A group of Cutleaf Toothworts

Plum blossoms? Certainly the Prunus genus. Giant Chickweed plants Female Falcate Orangetip (the only one I saw that day) on Cutleaf Toothwort. Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea) Clouded Sulphur wing

Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC 3/23/11

Four-toed Salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum), apparently missing most of its tail and about to burrow into the soil and rotted wood. Same Four-toed Salamander, originally seen in this position Field Pansies

White-throated Sparrow Male Falcate Orangetip Female Falcate Orangetip on Spring Beauty Cutleaf Toothwort, showing variation in leaf shape Cutleaf Toothwort

Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC 3/22/11

Green Frog (Rana clamitans), well-camouflaged but given away by the sun's glare A rather unusual Spring Beauty, in Siler's Bog Field Pansy Seven-spotted Ladybug Beetle

Female Falcate Orangetip in flight Another female Falcate Orangetip in flight Female Falcate Orangetip on flower (rockcress?) Juvenal's Duskywing

Downtown Winston-Salem (mostly Old Salem), Forsyth County, NC 3/21/11

American Robin Silver-spotted Skipper Courtship process of Cabbage Whites Crab spider Grape Hyacinths Sweat bee (Lasioglossum subgenus dialictus)

Confederate Violet Another Confederate Violet Another Confederate Violet Confederate Violet (Viola sororia priceana) and Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia sororia) together

Sandy Creek Park, Durham, NC 3/20/11

Green Six-spotted Beetle Large Bee Fly on spring Beauty flower Fig Buttercups or Lesser Celandines Mysterious bushes Bee (Andrena genus)

Tufted Titmouse Rue Anemone Boxelder Bug seeming to hide under what look like Sycamore seeds. Before, it scurried furiously, then somehow wound up in this position almost instantly. Forget-Me-Nots

Durham, NC 3/20/11

Hophornbeam male catkins at different stages of exposure of anthers

Durham, NC 3/19/11

Centipede Snail

Durham, NC 3/18/11

Plasterer bee, hovering near nest entrance. She crawled in and out of it several times. Plasterer bee entering nest Common Blue Violets and Chickweed

Boxelder fruits Male Falcate Orangetip Redbud White-throated Sparrow

North Carolina Botanical Garden, Orange County, NC 3/17/11

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (rear view) Male Falcate Orangetip, in flight Heartleaf foamflower Little Sweet Betsy Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia)

Trout Lily A Common Oak Moth (Phoberia atomaris). These moths were very common in this area that day, but extremely fast-moving and often impossible to see when they landed. I got this photo by aiming the camera where I saw the moth land, without actually seeing it!

Southpoint Swamp, Durham, NC 3/16/11

Canada Goose territorial battle. There was a lot of honking leading up to the chasing of two geese onto the far shore. Redbelly Water Snake crossing water Redbelly Water Snake climbing on land

Female Red Maple Redbud flowers Red-eared Sliders (smaller) and Yellowbelly Sliders (bigger)

Battery Buchanan, Ft. Fisher State Recreation Area, New Hanover County, NC 3/13/11

American Oystercatcher, standing relatively near the boat ramp. American Oystercatcher, flying from the ferry area toward the jetty Two American Oystercatchers, flying toward the jetty

Northern Mockingbird landing on tree Northern Mockingbird perched on tree Juvenile Dunlin on jetty Two juvenile Dunlins at jetty Same two Dunlins at jetty

Juvenile Dunlins Yellow-rumped Warbler

Battle Acre and main beach, Ft. Fisher Recreation Area, New Hanover County, NC 3/13/11

Savannah Sparrow on one of the big rocks. ID confirmed by John Ennis. Boat-tailed Grackle family (adult female is second from left)

Some of hundreds, maybe thousands of (Double-crested?) Cormorants flying west, viewed from the Battle Acre parking lot. Later on, far down the public beach (near the CapeFear River), they took a right turn, toward the north. There are a few birds in the water, which I'd guess to be Pied-bill Grebes.

Clouded Sulphur, seen next to maritime forest Male Boat-tailed Grackle, in parking lot Male Boat-tailed Grackle, on gazebo Fly

Carolina Beach State Park, New Hanover County, NC 3/13/11

Green Anole Fly

Battery Buchanan, Ft. Fisher Recreation Area, New Hanover County, NC 3/12/11

Royal Tern, non-breeding plumage Royal Tern, breeding plumage Common Grackle Male Boat-tailed Grackle

American Oystercatcher American Oystercatchers flying from the jetty to (and past) the boat ramp Double-crested Cormorants

Annual Glasswort (Salicornia virginica) Raccoon prints

Lake Park, Carolina Beach, New Hanover County, NC 3/12/11

About 75 American Coots Part of the underside of an American Coot foot. Though it isn't webbed, three curved pads stick out on each side of each talon, and you see an extra spiky "claw" on top. American Coot walking

Fort Fisher Basin Trail, New Hanover County, NC 3/11/11

Cooper's Hawk? Same hawk. It was chasing a songbird over a sandy stretch near the marsh. Annual Glasswort (Salicornia virginica) Wolf spider? Seaweed on the Cape Fear River bank

Carolina Lake, Carolina Beach, New Hanover County, NC 3/11/11

These Mallards seemed to be protecting the American Coots in the background, marching in and quacking authoritatively. One of the many Yellow-rumped Warblers hanging around Pleasure Island. Laughing Gull Ringed-bill Gull crying A Rock Dove with anomalous white tail feathers

American Coots, showing feet American Coots landing in the water Male Mallard

Carolina Beach (the Atlantic coast), New Hanover County, NC 3/11/11

Willets

Durham, NC 3/10/11

Violet Violet (Viola sororia) Red Maple fruit, lying where it fell Winged Elm fruit, which landed on the ground

Durham, NC 3/9/11

Violet (Viola sororia) Earthworm Pillbug Early spring wildflower Buttercup?

Durham, NC 3/7/11

Dark Fishing Spider, in my neighborhood marsh, one of many. Red-bellied Woodpecker, with mysterious object in beak Winged elm fruit Earwig

Durham, NC 3/3/11

Wolf spider Speedwells

Durham, NC 3/2/11

In one small part of a field, where some Box Elder trees are, there were dozens of Boxelder Bugs, many mating, but also several flower flies.

Flower fly, maybe Syrphini tribe Female Red Maple flowers Purple Deadnettle My neighborhood marsh, after a rain during a long drought. You can see an USGS Stream Gauging Station in the rear. It was moved several feet farther into the marsh last summer during a drought.

Boxelder Bug Deformed Boxelder Bug Mating Boxelder Bugs

Copyright © 2011-2021 by Dorothy E. Pugh. All rights reserved. Please contact for rights to use photos.
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Dark Fishing Spider (Dolomedes tenebrosus), seen near river bank.	Juvenal's Duskywing	Cutleaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata)	Rue Anemone	A group of Cutleaf Toothworts


Plum blossoms? Certainly the Prunus genus.	Giant Chickweed plants	Female Falcate Orangetip (the only one I saw that day) on Cutleaf Toothwort.	Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea)	Clouded Sulphur wing


Four-toed Salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum), apparently missing most of its tail and about to burrow into the soil and rotted wood.	Same Four-toed Salamander, originally seen in this position	Field Pansies


White-throated Sparrow	Male Falcate Orangetip	Female Falcate Orangetip on Spring Beauty	Cutleaf Toothwort, showing variation in leaf shape	Cutleaf Toothwort


Green Frog (Rana clamitans), well-camouflaged but given away by the sun's glare	A rather unusual Spring Beauty, in Siler's Bog	Field Pansy	Seven-spotted Ladybug Beetle


Female Falcate Orangetip in flight	Another female Falcate Orangetip in flight	Female Falcate Orangetip on flower (rockcress?)	Juvenal's Duskywing


American Robin	Silver-spotted Skipper	Courtship process of Cabbage Whites	Crab spider	Grape Hyacinths	Sweat bee (Lasioglossum subgenus dialictus)


Confederate Violet	Another Confederate Violet	Another Confederate Violet	Confederate Violet (Viola sororia priceana) and Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia sororia) together


Green Six-spotted Beetle	Large Bee Fly on spring Beauty flower	Fig Buttercups or Lesser Celandines	Mysterious bushes	Bee (Andrena genus)


Tufted Titmouse	Rue Anemone	Boxelder Bug seeming to hide under what look like Sycamore seeds. Before, it scurried furiously, then somehow wound up in this position almost instantly.	Forget-Me-Nots


Hophornbeam male catkins at different stages of exposure of anthers


Plasterer bee, hovering near nest entrance. She crawled in and out of it several times.	Plasterer bee entering nest	Common Blue Violets and Chickweed


Boxelder fruits	Male Falcate Orangetip	Redbud	White-throated Sparrow


Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (rear view)	Male Falcate Orangetip, in flight	Heartleaf foamflower	Little Sweet Betsy	Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia)


Trout Lily	A Common Oak Moth (Phoberia atomaris). These moths were very common in this area that day, but extremely fast-moving and often impossible to see when they landed. I got this photo by aiming the camera where I saw the moth land, without actually seeing it!


Canada Goose territorial battle. There was a lot of honking leading up to the chasing of two geese onto the far shore.	Redbelly Water Snake crossing water	Redbelly Water Snake climbing on land


Female Red Maple	Redbud flowers	Red-eared Sliders (smaller) and Yellowbelly Sliders (bigger)


American Oystercatcher, standing relatively near the boat ramp.	American Oystercatcher, flying from the ferry area toward the jetty	Two American Oystercatchers, flying toward the jetty


Northern Mockingbird landing on tree	Northern Mockingbird perched on tree	Juvenile Dunlin on jetty	Two juvenile Dunlins at jetty	Same two Dunlins at jetty


Savannah Sparrow on one of the big rocks. ID confirmed by John Ennis.	Boat-tailed Grackle family (adult female is second from left)


Some of hundreds, maybe thousands of (Double-crested?) Cormorants flying west, viewed from the Battle Acre parking lot. Later on, far down the public beach (near the CapeFear River), they took a right turn, toward the north. There are a few birds in the water, which I'd guess to be Pied-bill Grebes.


Clouded Sulphur, seen next to maritime forest	Male Boat-tailed Grackle, in parking lot	Male Boat-tailed Grackle, on gazebo	Fly


Royal Tern, non-breeding plumage	Royal Tern, breeding plumage	Common Grackle	Male Boat-tailed Grackle


American Oystercatcher	American Oystercatchers flying from the jetty to (and past) the boat ramp	Double-crested Cormorants


About 75 American Coots	Part of the underside of an American Coot foot. Though it isn't webbed, three curved pads stick out on each side of each talon, and you see an extra spiky "claw" on top.	American Coot walking


Cooper's Hawk?	Same hawk. It was chasing a songbird over a sandy stretch near the marsh.	Annual Glasswort (Salicornia virginica)	Wolf spider?	Seaweed on the Cape Fear River bank


These Mallards seemed to be protecting the American Coots in the background, marching in and quacking authoritatively.	One of the many Yellow-rumped Warblers hanging around Pleasure Island.	Laughing Gull	Ringed-bill Gull crying	A Rock Dove with anomalous white tail feathers


American Coots, showing feet	American Coots landing in the water	Male Mallard


Violet	Violet (Viola sororia)	Red Maple fruit, lying where it fell	Winged Elm fruit, which landed on the ground


Violet (Viola sororia)	Earthworm	Pillbug	Early spring wildflower	Buttercup?