5. Photo Op! Trilliums in a Kudzu Field

Trillium cuneatum.

Usually nothing much grows in a kudzu field, except, of course, kudzu.  However, occasionally you can find trilliums growing in a kudzu field in the Spring.  The kudzu can actually provide a great habitat for some species of trilliums by mimicking the light levels in a forest.  In the Spring, before the kudzu leafs out, the trilliums get plenty of sunshine just as they would in a leafless Spring forest.  In the summer the kudzu leaves shade the plants and soil, acting as living mulch and keeping the soil moisture levels higher on a mesic site just as the leaves of trees in a forest would.  Kudzu is a legume, related to peas, and absorbs nitrogen from the air into its leaves and deposits it into the soil, thus fertilizing the trilliums.  The nitrogen rich, moist soil and abundant Spring sunlight can help trilliums in a kudzu field grow quite large.  This field in North Georgia has Trillium cuneatum growing in it.

The trilliums in this kudzu patch tend to grow in dense clumps as in this photo.  Click on any of the photos to see a larger image.

Some are quite large.  This one has a green blossom.

This photo gives an you an idea of the range of blossom colors in this population.

This one has a particularly dark blossom.

Dark red blossoms.

Bronze-colored blossoms.

Pale green blossom.

Yellow-green blossoms.

Yellow-green blossom.  Notice the pigmentation and shape of the leaves.  There is a lot of variation in the leaves as well as blossoms.

Multicolored blossoms.

Large plant with multicolored blossom.

Green blossom with red along the edges.

In the nearby woods there were more Trillium cuneatum (left, taller plants) mixed with Trillium decumbens (right, plants close to ground).

 -Wayne

4. Trees and Wildflowers in the Piedmont Mesic Forest: Early Spring

One of the best places to see and learn about the diversity of plants in the piedmont of Georgia is the Southern Piedmont Mesic Forest, an ecological community unique to the piedmont of the southeastern U.S.  It  is a great place to go to with your tree and wildflower identification guides and learn about the natural plants of Georgia, especially in the Spring when wildflowers are in bloom.

The Piedmont

The piedmont is the region of rolling hills in north-central Georgia that lays south of the Appalachian Mountains and north of the flat Coastal Plain.  The majority of the people who live in Georgia live in the piedmont region since Atlanta and other piedmont cities have large populations.

The Georgia Piedmont is represented by the area in green.  Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain.

Piedmont Oak-Pine Forests 

Before talking about the mesic forest of the piedmont, I want to mention the more typical forest type of the piedmont, so that you'll understand why the mesic forest is different.  The natural plant community on the upper slopes and tops of the hills in the Georgia Piedmont is the Oak-Pine Forest, also known as the Oak-Hickory-Pine Forest.  These upper slopes of the piedmont hills typically have drier soils, known as xeric (pronounced zeer-ik) soils, since rainfall runs downhill away from these areas and they subsequently dry out quickly.  Due to the geology of the piedmont, the soil also typically has an acidic pH.  The dry, acidic soil conditions limit the species of trees and other plants that can grow on these upland sites.  This is because the acidic pH makes it harder for plants to absorb nutrients from the soil, and many trees and other plants need more moisture than is available in this type of environment.

Typical Piedmont Oak-Pine Forest in March.

The leaf litter in an Oak-Pine Forest is a mixture of deciduous leaves and pine needles.  In areas with a high concentration of pines the pine needle leaf litter can lower the soil pH and make the soil more acidic.

For more detailed information about this ecological community, see the Natureserve Explorer Ecological System Comprehensive Report.  Go to: http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?init=Ecol and enter "Southern Piedmont Dry Oak Pine Forest" in the ecological unit field and press enter.

Piedmont Mesic Forests

There are some areas on the northern and lower slopes of some piedmont hills where much richer natural plant communities grow, some of the most species-diverse in the piedmont.  These areas are moister, or more mesic (pronounced mez-ik), and are known as Mesic Forests.  The higher moisture levels support more species of trees and other plants than the  xeric Oak-Pine Forest.  The mesic conditions exist because these areas are either at the bottom of slopes where rainwater drains into the soil, or they are on the north-facing sides of hills.  The north sides of hills don't get any direct sunlight, even in midsummer, since the sun is always a little to the south of our latitude even at high noon.  As a result the sun does not dry out the soil as it does on the East, South, and West slopes of hills.  These mesic soils are not water-logged or wet; they are typically well-drained but have higher moisture levels.  These plant communities should also not be confused with alluvial floodplains (found along rivers) or riparian forests (moist areas along streams and creeks).  The mesic forest is distinguishable because it is upslope from these other natural communities.

You'll be able to identify a Mesic Forest because beech trees (Fagus grandifolia), which require mesic conditions, are either the dominant tree species or are very abundant.  Other tree species that prefer or require mesic conditions will also be present, including species like musclewood (Carpinus caroliniana) and tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera), and will help you to confirm that you have found a mesic site. Most piedmont mesic forests have an acidic pH level less than 7.0, but they still support a diverse plant community. 

To see images and descriptions of any of the trees in this post go to the Virginia Tech Forest Biology and Dendrology site and search for the tree species:  http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/factsheets.cfm

For more in-depth information on each tree species in this post, go to the U.S. Forest Service's Sylvics of North America, Volume 2, Hardwoods:
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/vol2_Table_of_contents.htm

A Piedmont Mesic community is recognizable by the abundance of Beech trees (Fagus grandifolia).  This photo shows a north-facing mesic slope in March.  Click on the photo to get a larger image so that you can see the smooth gray trunks and distinctive buttressed roots of the large beeches on the hillside.  They are distinctive whether it is winter or summer.  The smaller beech saplings have persistent leaves that stay on the trees throughout the winter, making them easily recognizable in the winter forest.  They are visible in this photo as the small trees with light brown leaves.

For more detailed information about this ecological community, see the Natureserve Explorer Ecological System Comprehensive Report.  Go to: http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?init=Ecol and enter "Southern Piedmont Mesic Forest" in the ecological unit field and press enter.

Piedmont Basic Mesic Forests

These mesic forests are rarer, but have conditions that support even more plant diversity and are an exciting place to see and learn about plants.  This is because they have minerals in the underlying rocks, usually calcium or magnesium, that buffer the soil pH and make it less acidic.  These forests are sometimes referred to as Basic Mesic Forests.  Basic refers to a pH level greater than 7, which is typically not found in these forests, but the name indicates that they include minerals with a basic pH such as calcium and magnesium. Basic mesic forests typically have a well-developed understory and many different species of herbaceous plants.  Many of these plant species are not found elsewhere on the piedmont but instead are normally found in the mountains.  Exploring a basic mesic forest during Spring or Summer will provide you with a wonderful opportunity to view a wide variety of trees, herbaceous plants, and wildflowers.

A Trip Through a Basic Mesic Forest in Mid-March, 2013
Mid-march in Georgia's northern piedmont is when the very first Spring wildflowers begin to emerge and bloom in mesic forests.  Our first field trip into the forest after the winter was to a Basic Mesic Forest.

The Basic Mesic slope we explored in March.  The slope faces north and has beech trees.  The underlying rock strata cause rainwater to flow into this part of the slope, where it trickles out and forms the beginning of a small branch (brook). 

Another view of the same area with me standing upslope.  The hillside is steep and at least 70 feet high.  The old 55 gallon metal drum at the bottom may be from an old still.  We have found the remains of many early twentieth-century stills throughout the forests of north Georgia.   Moonshine, or White Lightning, was produced illegally in small stills by individuals across north Georgia.  We typically find the still sites upstream near the beginnings of small brooks in forests. 

This is the same photo that was used above to show Beech trees.  It is part of the Basic Mesic slope and shows the large Beech trees that are abundant on the slope.

Another tree on the slope, Musclewood (Carpinus caroliniana).  Like Beech, it also grows along creeks and rivers where there are mesic soil conditions.  It is a small to medium size tree with smooth gray bark  and a distinctive rippled, muscled-looking trunk.

This tree, Eastern Hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana), is also a distinctive small to medium size tree with bark that peels.  If they are common at a site, as on this slope, it can be an indication that the soil is more circumneutral (closer to a neutral pH of 7.0).

There were also several rather large umbrella magnolias (Magnolia tripetala) over thirty feet tall.  The man standing next to the magnolia in this photo is over six feet tall.  Umbrella magnolias also prefer more circumneutral soil.

This site is unusual because there are thousands of Trillium decipiens carpeting the slope and the lowland area below the slope.  This trillium is found in rich mesic sites in a limited range in Florida, Alabama, and Georgia and emerges very early in the Spring. 

A closer look at the T. decipiens.  This amazing display of these unusual woodland plants is one of the reasons we visited this site.  It is an early reminder that Spring is almost here.

Trillium decipiens in bud.  The knife is 4 3/8 inches long.

In bloom on the slope was Hepatica americana, another mesic species and very early blooming wildflower.  The blossom is small, under an inch across.

As you can see, even in the very earliest stage of Spring, a basic mesic forest can be a fun place to visit to see the plant community.  This site will have other species of plants blooming throughout the Spring.

-Wayne

3. Tracks and Scats: Animal Signs #1

Species discussed in this post:
White-tailed Deer, Wild Turkey, Grey Squirrel, Raccoon, Coyote, Red Fox

You may find signs of the animals that inhabit an area when you are walking in natural places.  If you are not familiar with the signs of wild animals you may not know what you're looking at, or you may miss the signs altogether.  This post talks about a few of the common animal tracks, scats (feces), and other signs you may encounter in Georgia.  The following photos were all taken within just the last few weeks.  In future posts I'll discuss other animal signs as I encounter them.

White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

You commonly see signs of deer all over the landscape.  The White-tailed deer was over-hunted in the southeast and by the mid 20th century it had been virtually extirpated in north Georgia. An archaeologist I know told me his father remembered when they began a program to bring some deer from south Georgia to north Georgia in the 1940's in order to restore the species.  Since then game management practices have led the species to rebound to high population levels.  There are more deer in Georgia today than there were when Europeans first arrived in North America.  This is due to more available habitat for the species.  Deer hide in forests and travel through forests to feeding and watering locations, but most of their food is outside of forests.  Deer are browsers, which means that they primarily eat the leaves from plants.  They find these plants along the edges of forests and in brushy areas like abandoned fields where plants, bushes, and small trees are re-growing.  Humans have removed much of the natural forest in Georgia and replaced it with the types of habitats that feed deer, leading to an expansion of the deer population.  There are also fewer people hunting deer these days, so there is less of a check on their population growth.  The result is an overpopulation of deer that is having a negative effect on some natural environments where deer are eating so many of the native plants that they are extirpating populations of native plants in some areas.

Deer prints are common, with two teardrop-shaped halves to the hoof, which together make the hoof-print look sort of heart-shaped.

Deer hoof prints.

Deer scat (feces) looks like a pile of small, black or brown spheres.  Actually, some of the pellets may be spherical, but some are elongated spheres.  Some are also slightly flattened.  Deer and rabbit pellets can be confused; the difference is that rabbit scat is spherical and not elongated like deer scat.

Three piles of deer pellets.  This place on the deer trail seems to be used as a latrine by the deer.

This close-up shows the elongated shape of the pellets.  Rabbit scat differs in that it is all spherical.

In forests, another indication that deer have been around in the winter is areas where they have scraped back the leaves with their hooves to look for food.  In December of 2012 I found an area in the woods where deer had scraped twenty or more little areas clear of leaves looking for acorns.  Each cleared area was about two feet in diameter.

Area scraped by deer looking for acorns.

Close-up of scraped area showing some acorns left behind.

Nearby I found another common sign of deer in the winter, a small sapling showing scrape marks where a buck had rubbed its antlers on the bark.

Sapling with scraping on bark from deer antlers.

Deer will also create small trails or paths where they habitually walk through areas.  If you are in a natural area, a field, woods, etc., and you see something that looks like a narrow little trail, usually 8 to 10 inches wide, you are probably looking at a deer trail.  Sometimes old, well traveled, well worn trails are clearly visible.  Sometimes trails simply look like an area where the leaves or grass are trampled and packed down.

A deer trail runs straight up this photo in the center.  It is visible as an area where the leaves are trampled down.

Along deer trails you will often find bushes that have been browsed and have the twigs chewed off.  They are very common in the winter.

Bush along deer path browsed by deer.  Notice how all of the twigs have been nipped off at about the same height, about one foot tall.  Up close, it is apparent the twigs have been bitten off.

You can learn more about the natural history of the White-tailed deer at the IUCN website:
http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/42394/0

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

We recently walked about a mile through a forest adjacent to a pasture in which I have seen 2 or 3 dozen Wild Turkeys assembled at a time.  The leaf litter in an extensive area of the forest has been scratched by the turkeys to expose the soil beneath.  The turkeys do this to find seeds, nuts, insects, etc. to eat, especially in the winter.  You can tell that the exposed areas have been created by turkeys, not deer, because they only lightly scratch the soil surface and there aren't any hoof prints.  A flock of turkeys also fluffs up the leaves and leaves bare patches over a large area of leaf litter.

Area where patches of soil have been scratched clear by Wild Turkeys.

Another clue that turkeys have been scratching and not deer is the scat that turkeys leave.  Bird scat typically has white nitrogenous patches in it and turkeys are no exception.  Piles of turkey scat are a few inches long and can be either shapeless piles or little cylindrically shaped cords.

This example of Wild Turkey scat shows both forms, a shapeless pile and cylindrical cords.  It also shows the white nitrogenous matter.

Turkeys are another species that was hunted until there weren't many left in many areas of the southeast.  Reintroduction and game management has led to a rebound in their numbers.  You can learn more about the natural history of turkeys at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/wild_turkey/lifehistory

Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

Grey Squirrels are common wherever there are trees and nuts.  You usually know that you're in a squirrel's territory when you're in the woods because you'll hear it scolding you from the trees above.  You may also notice some other signs of squirrels.  If you see mysterious small holes dug into the leaf litter in the winter, you're seeing places where squirrels have looked for nuts.

Holes in leaf litter where squirrels have been searching for food.  For size comparison, the knife is 4 3/8 inches.

Squirrels also like to perch on top of logs, tree stumps, rocks, etc., when they forage on the ground and eat.  This gives them a vantage point to watch for predators while they eat.  If you see a pile of nut shells cracked open on one of these objects while in the woods, chances are that you are looking at a squirrel's picnic table.

This stump in the forest is a likely spot to find a squirrel's feeding place.

Sure enough, the top is covered with acorn shells from this past Fall's and Winter's meals.

For more information about the natural history of the Grey Squirrel, visit this link at the IUCN website: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/42462/0

Northern Raccoon (Procyon lotor)

The same day we saw the signs of Wild Turkeys, I hopped across a creek and landed right next to some fresh raccoon prints left behind in the sand.  The raccoon had obviously hopped onto the same place.  I knew this because their prints are usually strung out in the normal walking pattern, but these prints showed all four feet in a line where it landed.  The prints provide a nice comparison of the fore and hind paws.  The forepaws look like hand prints, and if you look close the "fingers" have bulbous tips.  The hind paws are larger.  Raccoon prints are distinctive and once you know what they look like you can often find them around creeks, rivers, streams, and lakes.

Raccoon prints.  The larger hind paws are the two prints in the center, the forepaws are the smaller "hand" prints on the top and bottom.

The smaller hand print at top and larger hind paw print at bottom.

Close-up of forepaw "handprint" with bulbous finger pads.

Learn more about the natural history of raccoons at IUCN: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/41686/0

Coyote (Canis latrans)

Coyotes are newcomers to Georgia, having migrated in over the last few decades to fill the niche that used to be occupied by wolves before they were killed off.  I saw my first coyote in Cherokee County in the mid 1990's but now they are common.  I have seen four along the highway as roadkill in the last three months.  I now hear them howling during the long winter nights in my area, and in January they congregate to mate and at night we can hear a number of them yipping like big puppies as they get together.  Genetic studies have revealed that coyotes did not migrate from the Great Plains into the southeast, instead they migrated into eastern Canada and had some limited interbreeding with wolves, then migrated southward in the eastern United States into the southeast.  Coyotes are solitary most of the time.  I will post a photo of their paw print at a later time when I get one.  It is distinguishable from a dog's.  Their scat is also distinguishable.  Domestic dog scat usually looks like digested dog food.  It is homogeneously brown, is in a pile, and has thick cylindrical cords.  Coyote scat differs in that it is comprised of digested meat and the color of the cords is dark, even black.  Sometimes it is comprised of hair.  Pieces of bone may also be apparent.  Most notably, the tips are thin, tapered, and look twisted.

I found this coyote scat deposited along our driveway in late February, about 70 feet from our house.  It is distinguishable since it is comprised entirely of animal hair, and more importantly has thin, tapered, twisted ends.

For more about the natural history of coyotes see the IUCN website: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/3745/0

For more about coyotes in Georgia see the Georgia DNR's Coyote fact sheet: http://georgiawildlife.com/node/1391

Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)

This last identification is tentative on my part.  I found this strange looking scat and consulted my field identification resources to try to identify it.  It seems to match the descriptions of Red Fox scat.  Part of it has the appearance of scat typical of much of the dog family; long cords with constrictions and a tapered tail.  Fox scat can have fur, bones, or meat in it, but it can also have fruit, berries, or insect remains.  This scat has the constricted cords and tail  indicative of a fox, but the shapeless pile has fruit and seed remains.  It appears to be from a predator that also eats fruit, therefore it would seem to be a fox.  I know we have foxes in this area since a neighbor photographed one in his yard just a month ago.  However, I've never seen fox scat before, so this is a tentative identification on my part.  If anyone reading this can positively identify this scat, I'd like to hear from you.

Possible Red Fox scat, comprised of fruit and seed with constricted cord and tapered tail.

If you would like to learn more about the natural history of the Red Fox see IUCN's website: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/23062/0

An iPhone app I have found handy to help with track and scat identification in the field is Scats and Tracks of North America by Falcon Guides.  I'll post more animal sign identification tips in future posts.

-Wayne