YOUR MONTHLY FIELD GUIDE
August
At Summer’s Edge
Southern Blue Ridge • Western North Carolina
August holds the mountains in late-summer abundance. Forests remain deep and green, while goldenrods begin to bloom, jewelweed pods swell, and the steady hum of insects fills warm evenings. Along the edges, the first subtle signs of change appear.
Meet This Month's Species
Dog-day Cicada
Neotibicen canicularis
A familiar voice of late summer; adults emerge from years underground, leaving empty shells behind and filling hot afternoons with sound.
Green Heron
Butorides virescens
A compact heron that hunts quietly along ponds, streams, and wet edges, often remaining still until prey moves within reach.
Common Nighthawk
Chordeiles minor
An aerial insect-eater that sweeps across late-summer evening skies, catching flying insects on long, pointed wings.
American Goldfinch
Spinus tristis
A bright seed-eating songbird whose nesting season peaks unusually late, often coinciding with abundant thistle and other summer seeds.
Ghost Pipe
Monotropa uniflora
A pale, chlorophyll-free woodland plant that emerges from rich forest soil, often appearing after summer rains beneath a closed canopy.
Hickories
Carya spp.
Native hardwood trees whose hard-shelled nuts provide an important fall food source for squirrels, birds, and other forest wildlife.
August Small Wonders
Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar
Papilio troilus
Spicebush swallowtail caterpillars hide inside folded leaves, emerging to feed before retreating again. Their large false eyespots give them the surprising appearance of tiny snakes.
Orange Jewelweed
Impatiens capensis
Along damp woodland edges, jewelweed's plump green pods ripen through late summer, bursting at the slightest touch and scattering their seeds in a tiny explosion.
