Mo*Bee's Blog #15: An appreciation for the significance of Hickory Nut Gorge wildlife

Ready or not, Christmas is right around the corner.  Like most people, this is a busy time of year for us - decorating, shopping, wrapping presents, planning and coordinating family visits, all the while, tying up loose ends at work before travelling.  It is hectic for such a jovial time of year.

  

So, it was with great pleasure that we were able to attend a relaxing holiday gathering with the Friends of the Hickory Nut Gorge at the Lake Lure Inn.  It was a lovely evening with great food and fellowship as well as an entertaining program about the wildlife that inhabit the Hickory Nut Gorge.  Emily Walker (Naturalist and Education Manager of Chimney Rock Park) and Clint Calhoun (Environmental Management Officer of Lake Lure) led the program.  With the recent containment of the Party Rock fire, the duo also touched upon the impact this disaster had upon the wildlife.

Photo from Chimney Rock Park Facebook page.

Lake Lure. Credit:  Skip Love photography.

We heard about the large and small inhabitants of the Hickory Nut Gorge.  From the Eastern Black Bear to the Eastern Box Turtle….From those who fly to those who crawl.  Let me share some of the interesting tidbits we learned.

• While people often say they are afraid that they will be eaten by a bear in the woods, the typical Eastern Black Bear's diet is 75-85% vegetation. 
• Coyotes are relatives to the dog family, but one of their distinguishing features is their yellow eyes.
• A bobcat can pounce 8-10 feet.
• Raccoons tend to be nocturnal, but do not assume just because you see one during the day that it has rabies.  When the raccoon’s young wake, just like human babies, they want to be fed!  The mother goes on a hunt for food day or night.
• On the other hand, raccoons are feisty animals and should be treated with respect. They are a common carrier of the rabies virus.
• There are approximately 15 million white-tailed deer in the United States.
• For all the gardeners out there, white-tailed deer tend to be repelled by St. John’s Wort, garlic, switch grasses and sedges.
• Bats account for 1/5 of all mammals on Earth.
• Agriculturally speaking, bats provide insect control and are invaluable pollinators.
• Opossums are the only marsupial in North America.  They have the shortest gestational period of any mammal.  Actual pregnancy lasts approximately 12 days after which the fetus crawls into the mother’s pouch to develop further.
• Opossums have the thumbs on their feet not their hands.
• 98 – 99% of opossums are immune to the rabies virus.

Opossum.  Photo from Chimney Rock Park facebook page.

• Beavers are considered the largest rodent in North America at an average weight of 45 pounds.  The dams they create help support thousands of wildlife species.
• Waterfowl (ducks, geese, swans) are found on all continents except Antarctica.
• The female birds of prey (eagles, hawks, owls) are larger than males.  Might be the reason they tend to be monogamous!
• The timber rattlesnake can live twenty plus years and tends to return to the same winter den site each year.
• Copperhead snakes may share a den with other types of snakes such as rattle and rat snakes. However, they do not cross breed.
• Cottonmouth snakes do not live in Western North Carolina.
•  A triangular head on a snake does not necessarily mean it is venomous.  The Hognose Snake, for instance, can flare its head to resemble its venomous counterparts.  For the record, we have no plans to be close enough to a snake to determine what shape head it has.

Hognose snake.  Photo:  Jeff Hall, NCPARC biologist

• Snakes gain a button on its rattle each time they shed their skin, not each year of its life.  Also, a button can break off during its lifetime.
• The Eastern Box Turtle can live over 100 years with an average lifespan of 50 years.
• Eastern Box Turtles are home bodies.  They spend their entire life on about 10 acres.  If you see one in the road, help it across in the direction it was going.  They will neglect eating on the search to find home again if you relocate them otherwise!
• Do you know the difference between reptiles and amphibians?  A reptile lays a hard shelled egg with a smaller version of the adult inside.  An amphibian lays a soft egg that goes through a metamorphosis to later resemble the adult form.
• Honey bees die after they sting while yellow jackets do not.  Both are great pollinators.

Bear cub with injured leg rescued at Rumbling Bald.  Photo from CRP facebook page.  

Although we may be frightened or annoyed by particular wildlife in our community, they each serve a purpose.  Imagine your neighborhood if there were no snakes.  The rodent population would soar which is certainly not a healthy scenario for us.

Want fewer snakes on your property?  Don’t do things that attract rodents.  Like all critters, where they get their food is where they call home.  So, here are a few tips.  Keep your compost pile away from your home. If you place your trash outside, store it securely.  Consider using bird feeders during the winter months when food is scarce for birds and snakes will be hibernating.  If you like to bird watch year round, place your feeders further away from your home. With a little thought and effort, there are things you can do that don’t harm the environment.

As good neighbors, we must also be careful with the herbicides and pesticides we use. Most everyone has heard about the plight of the honey bee.  The insecticides used to protect crops are harming the insect that helps them to flourish.  Unfortunately, honey bees are now an endangered species which affects the future of our food supply.  

On a more cheerful note, most inhabitants of the Hickory Nut Gorge fared well considering the magnitude of the Party Rock Fire.  Some animals were safely buried underground as it was their time to prepare for hibernation.  Others had the natural instincts to lead them away from the fire.  We thought it surprising to learn that most return to their charred home when it is safe. One contributing factor was that with the leaf litter now gone, a hearty meal of acorns was exposed.

Turtle in Chimney Rock Park.  Photo from Chimney Rock Park facebook page.

A hawk in the bird program at Chimney Rock Park. Photo:  CRP facebook page. 

We ended the night meeting a snake, box turtle, red-tailed hawk, and opossum that are residents of a nature rehabilitation center.  While they are unable to live in the wild, they now help by serving an educational role.  

Lake Lure. Photo from FHNG facebook page.

We would again like to thank Friends of the Hickory Nut Gorge for spreading some holiday cheer with us and for they work they do.  They are volunteers who educate and advocate for the natural beauty, biodiversity and wildlife habitat of the Hickory Nut Gorge.  If you would like to help, contact Friends of the Hickory Nut Gorge.

Find numerous volunteer opportunities on 

Mo*Bee's Class Finder.