A catalog of my neighbors, resident, seasonal, and visiting.

For twelve years I have lived on 1.3 acres of woods and clearing a mile outside Durham, North Carolina. During that time I have seen, heard, and in most cases enjoyed the company of representatives of each of the following species on that 1.3 acres. All, with the exception of one or two trees, have come voluntarily and are not domesticated. To those I have missed, including all of Insecta and Arachnida and the entire kingdom of fungi, I apologize. I'm working on it.

Animals: Vertebrates
Latin name Common name frequency of observation breeding / juveniles? notes
Mammals
Sciurus carolinensis eastern gray squirrel abundant yes
Odocoileus virginianus white-tailed deer common no They come up through the power easement once a week or more in the winter, then wander up the trail through our woods looking for food.
Sylvilagus floridanus eastern cottontail occasional yes We don't see them as much as formerly, now that we have young active dogs. Basset hounds are rabbit dogs, after all.
Microtus pennsylvanicus meadow vole abundant yes
Mus musculus house mouse abundant yes The favorite toy of Felis catus, when available.
Reptiles
Terrapene carolina eastern box turtle occasional no
Chelydra serpentina common snapping turtle rare yes One juvenile (body about two inches long), crossing the street towards our woods, so we helped it along.
Eumeces fasciatus five-lined skink abundant yes They hide under the siding of the house and come out to sun themselves on the cinder block wall.
Carphophis amoenus worm snake common [yes] Every time I dig up a patch of garden I find one.
Elaphe obsoleta black rat snake common [yes] Beautiful creatures, and they're on the payroll: They keep the mice down.
Agkistrodon contortrix copperhead occasional [no] Seen only once. Black rat snakes tend to drive them away, as they'll eat baby copperheads.
Amphibians
Bufo americanus American toad abundant yes In rainy years they breed like mad. They're everywhere.
Bufo fowleri Fowler's toad abundant yes Even more abundant than American toads.
Rana clamitans bronze frog rare no Seen only once, swimming in the duck's pool.
Rana catesbeiana Bullfrog rare no I hear bullfrogs every summer about a quarter mile through the woods in a stagnant creek. Only once or twice heard one on our property.
Acris crepitans northern cricket frog rare ? Seen only once, but they're tiny and well camouflaged, so I expect there are more.
Pseudacris feriarum upland chorus frog occasional ? Heard in our woods but not seen. These are fantastically abundant a half-mile away.
Pseudacris crucifer spring peeper occasional ? Heard in our woods but not seen. In March these are deafening a half-mile away.
Ambystoma maculatum spotted salamander rare no Spotted only once during a wet winter.
Birds
Zenaida macroura mourning dove abundant [yes]
Melanerpes carolinus red-bellied woodpecker common ?
Picoides villosus hairy woodpecker common ?
Picoides pubescens downy woodpecker occasional ?
Colaptes auratus northern flicker occasional ?
Dryocopus pileatus pilleated woodpecker rare no
Sphyrapicus varius yellow-bellied sapsucker rare ?
Cyanocitta cristata blue jay common yes
Dumetella carolinensis gray catbird occasional no
Bombycilla cedrorum cedar waxwings rare no A small flock of them showed up a couple of times one winter to eat the berries on our Chinese holly bushes. That's the only use I've ever found for the holly bushes.
Buteo lineatus red-shouldered hawk occasional yes A pair once nested in our woods. Haven't seen any in a few years.
Accipiter cooperii Cooper's hawk frequent no
Poecile carolinensis Carolina chickadee abundant yes
Baeolophus bicolor tufted titmouse common [yes]
Sitta carolinensis white-breasted nuthatch common yes
Sitta pusilla brown-headed nuthatch rare no
Thryothorus ludovicianus Carolina wren abundant yes They nest every year in the top of our propane tank.
Turdus migratorius American robin abundant yes
Hylocichla mustelina wood thrush common yes We have one pair in our woods every summer. I rarely see them but always hear them calling on June evenings.
Regulus calendula ruby-crowned kinglet occasional ?
Setophaga pinus pine warbler rare no
Dendroica coronata yellow-rumped warbler ocasional no
Pipilo erythrophthalmus eastern towhee common yes
Melospiza melodia song sparrow common no Winter only.
Zonotrichia albicollis white-throated sparrow common no Winter only.
Zonotrichia leucophrys white-crowned sparrow common Winter only.
Geothlypis trichas common yellowthroat rare ?
Junco hyemalis dark-eyed junco common no
Cardinalis cardinalis northern cardinal abundant yes
Quiscalus quiscula common grackle abundant yes
Agelaius phoeniceus red-winged blackbird common no
Molothrus ater brown-headed cowbird occasional no
Carpodacus mexicanus house finch common yes
Spinus tristis American goldfinch common ?
Passerina cyanea indigo bunting rare no Seen only once.
Sialia sialis eastern bluebird occasional no
Toxostoma rufum brown thrasher common yes
Archilochus colubris ruby-throated hummingbird abundant yes
Plants
Latin name Common name frequency notes
Native Trees
Acer rubrum var. trilobum Carolina red maple common
Carya alba mockernut hickory one small tree
Carya glabra var. glabra pignut hickory one or two small trees
Cercis canadensis Eastern redbud one This was planted deliberately, but is a native tree.
Cornus florida flowering dogwood common
Diospyros virginiana common persimmon one tree
Fagus grandifolia var. caroliniana American beech one clump of a few medium sized trees
Frangula caroliniana Carolina buckthorn one tree Birds swarm over the berries in June. These are quite rare in the Piedmont, but there is a clump of them in Duke Forest about two miles away, so presumably a bird planted ours.
Fraxinus pennsylvanica green ash one large and several small trees
Ilex opaca var. opaca American holly several small trees
Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana eastern redcedar common
Liriodendron tulipifera tulip poplar, yellow poplar common
Liquidambar styraciflua sweetgum common
Magnolia grandiflora southern magnolia one Technically not native but naturalized from farther south.
Morus rubra red mulberry one large and a few small trees
Nyssa sylvatica blackgum, black tupelo one plus saplings
Oxydendrum arboreum sourwood common
Pinus echinata shortleaf pine abundant
Pinus strobus eastern white pine one I think this was once somebody's Christmas tree, but it is occasionally found in the Piedmont.
Pinus taeda loblolly pine abundant
Pinus virginiana Virginia pine a few trees
Prunus serotina var. serotina black cherry a few small trees
Quercus alba white oak several small trees
Quercus falcata Spanish oak three large trees
Quercus nigra water oak two large trees
Quercus phellos willow oak three large trees plus saplings
Ulmus rubra slippery elm several of varying sizes
Native Shrubs
Rubus argutus sawtooth blackberry abundant
Viburnum rafinesquianum downy arrowwood common
Woody Vines
Campsis radicans trumpet creeper occasional
Lonicera sempervirens var. sempervirens coral honeysuckle (trumpet honeysuckle) occasional
Parthenocissus quinquefolia Virginia creeper abundant
Smilax rotundifolia common greenbrier (roundleaf greenbrier, horsebrier) abundant
Toxicodendron radicans eastern poison-ivy abundant
Vitis cinerea var. baileyana possum grape abundant