Exploring Catawba County Parks: Spring
Posted By lowenby on February 27, 2010
The month of March signals profound changes in both our flora and fauna here in the North Carolina foothills. Our area, which has seen an especially
hard winter this year, is getting ready to burst into life! It is exciting to know that the natural world is about to come full circle and begin itself anew–and it is a marvelous time to get out with your family and enjoy the warm sun on your face while strolling through the lush green canopies that our parks provide. Your ears will be entertained to a full chorus of hawks, warblers, frogs, and toads while your eyes are treated to a wide array of enchanting spring wildflowers and butterflies. There is so much to explore and see! Join one of our scheduled walks to have a more “in-depth” experience-or come on your own and spend the day hiking and picnicking with your family, exercising your dog, or challenging yourself to a ride on one of the mountain bike trails at Riverbend Park.
Below, we have put together a few “must see” lists for spring for those of you who are interested in getting out and exploring Catawba County’s natural heritage! Since there is always a Ranger on duty at each park, stop in and
ask what good things have been seen recently and they will be happy to point you in the right direction!
Spring Birds: Great Egret, Osprey, Broad-winged Hawk, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Great Crested Flycatcher, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Northern Parula, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Hooded Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, and Baltimore Oriole.
Spring Wildflowers: Trailing Arbutus (March-May), Bloodroot (March-April), Birdfoot Violet (April-June), Wild Columbine (March-May), Round-lobed Hepatica (February-May), Yellowroot (April-June), Mayapple (April-May), Halberdleaf Violet (April-May), Wild Azalea
(April-May), Wild Stonecrop (April-May), Foamflower (April-June), Coral Honeysuckle (April-June), Roundleaf Ragwort (April-June), Jack-in-the-Pulpit (April-May), Large-flowered Trillium (April-May), Perfoliate Bellwort (April-May), and Dwarf Crested Iris (April-May)
Spring Butterflies: Pipevine Swallowtail, Zebra Swallowtail, Eastern Tiger
Swallowtail, Falcate Orangetip, Harvester, Brown Elfin, Juniper Hairstreak, Spring Azure, Question Mark, Eastern Comma, Mourning Cloak, Gemmed Satyr, Northern Cloudywing, Juvenal’s Duskywing, and Common Roadside-Skipper
Other Things To Look For: Our favorite bird species will begin showing up mid-March! A great way to see how soon they will arrive is to check the Migration Map at Hummingbirds.net. It offers an
up to the minute picture of where sightings have occurred across the country. The male Ruby-throated Hummingbirds will be the first to arrive and set up territory. The females should arrive early to mid-April and their babies hatched by late May! American Toads will be breeding in wet areas, Eastern Box Turtles will be roaming our trails looking for mates, and the rocks in the Catawba River will be covered again with Yellow-bellied Sliders and River Cooters! Several dragonfly species can also be seen in the early spring: the Gray Petaltail, Springtime Darner, and Common Baskettail.
We will also resume our songbird banding effort and would love to have you come out to join us! Because there are many limiting factors involved with the weather though, we cannot schedule any dates too far in advance. We will be sending out notices of when we will be able to band through the Catawba County Parks Facebook Page so if you are interested-please become a fan and stay up-to-date with all of our park activities. Moth season will
also soon be upon us and the Tuesday Night Moth Club will begin again on Tuesday nights from April thru October. We will get together to look at moths, beetles, and whatever else shows up at the mercury-vapor light. Last season we logged over 70 species of moths, a dozen or so beetle species and many other interesting finds-like the Four-spotted Owl-fly that looks somewhat like a mutant cross between a butterfly and a dragonfly! The fun begins at dusk and goes about an hour past total darkness so the times will vary throughout the season.

























