Descriptions of Rare Species with Current Records in Chatham County

Descriptions of Rare Species with Current Records in Chatham County

1. AMPHIBIANS

The Four-toed salamander lives in moist woods near fish-free vernal pools, including isolated floodplain pools, or headwater seeps with prolonged surface water. Eggs are laid in March and early April, usually under thick moss on logs or rocks at the edge of the water, and hatch in May. The aquatic larvae transform into terrestrial juveniles about six weeks after hatching. Adults of this species are rarely encountered except when breeding.

2. BIRDS

Bachman's sparrow occurs in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain in grassy undergrowth of open pinewoods, savannas, and abandoned fields with scattered tall trees, and prefers frequently burned areas (Potter et al. 1980). This species is secretive and usually seen only when males are singing during April and May. Nests are constructed at the base of grass clumps or in low shrubs.

Bald eagles nest in tall trees near the edges of lakes and large rivers and feed mostly on fishes. They build nests of sticks and leaves, often lined with moss and other soft material that can reach upwards of nine feet in diameter. Each year a breeding pair will return, and add to, the previous year’s nest as a part of courtship. This species is most sensitive during the nesting/breeding season, between December and April in North Carolina. Some bald eagles are intolerant of humans near their nests, and may abandon nests when spooked by human activities, while other individuals are less sensitive.

The Double-crested Cormorant is a medium-large waterbird with a stocky body, long neck, dark brown or black plumage, webbed feet and a hooked bill. They are gregarious birds usually found in colonies, often with other aquatic birds, and have a deep, guttural grunt call.

The Loggerhead shrike prefers fields, pasture, and lawns with short vegetation and scattered small trees, fences, or utility wires that serve as perches for hunting small animals. This species occurs year-round in rural areas of the NC Piedmont and Coastal Plain. Shrikes nest during spring 8 to 15 feet above the ground in dense, often thorny shrubs or small trees adjacent to fields (Potter et al. 1980).

3. CRUSTACEANS

The Carolina ladle crayfish is apparently limited to the upper Cape Fear River and Neuse River basins in the NC Piedmont; the type locality for this species is from an intermittent stream in the Falls Lake watershed. This species occurs in small streams under large rocks and in burrows, and mates from Spring through Winter, with spawning early in Spring (Cooper 2000).

4. FISH

The Cape Fear shiner occurs exclusively in the Deep, Rocky, Haw, and Cape Fear rivers, and in the lower reaches of their larger tributaries, mainly in pools and runs among rocky riffles and shoals. This minnow prefers well vegetated large streams with water willow (Justicia americana), riverweed (Podostemum ceratophyllum), and benthic algae, and coarse sand and gravel deposits or root mats with minimal silt for spawning. It does not tolerate impounded waters or heavily silted streams, and does not occur in small streams except near the confluence with larger rivers.

The Carolina darter inhabits small to medium size free-flowing rocky streams, usually in slow-flowing and backwater areas with deposits of sand, silt, leafy debris, and root mats over the rocks.

The Carolina redhorse is a recently discovered and undescribed relative of the golden redhorse (Moxostoma erythrurum) endemic to the Cape Fear and Yadkin-PeeDee River basins. Based on field observations by Dr. Wayne Starnes (NC Museum of Natural Sciences) and Dr. Robert Jenkins (Roanoke College), and published life-history information for related species of redhorse suckers, the Carolina redhorse occurs in large free-flowing rocky streams and rivers with deep runs and pools, and shallow areas of silt-free gravel and coarse sand for spawning. Non-breeding adults also occur intermittently in impounded waters, but free-flowing gravelly river segments are needed for spawning and larval habitat.

5. INSECTS

Little information is currently available for Choroterpes basalis (a mayfly). This species was listed by the NCNHP as Significantly Rare in 2008, and is known to occur primarily in the Coastal Plain, though a few occurrences are known in the Piedmont. Most collections of this species have been from the lower Waccamaw River in Columbus County (Lumber River basin); and two exist in the Yadkin River basin.

The Cinnamon shadowdragon is a dragonfly known at present only from a handful of counties in the northeastern NC Piedmont, west to Durham and Chatham counties, and east to the Fall Line. This species occurs in rivers with good water quality and riffles. The flight of adults is from May to June. Adults perch on twigs in shady forests during the day, emerging during the last hour of light to forage near rivers. Beaton (2007) mentions that this species is more likely than other shadowdragons to forage away from its breeding habitat (i.e., away from water).

For more information on this species, see the NC Odonate website at: http://149.168.1.196/odes/a/accounts.php?id=76.
In Chatham County, this species has been documented as occurring in the county but no information is available on the date or location of the observation (Harry LeGrand, NCNHP, pers. comm. 2010). Thus, no information is available on the river system from which this species was observed. Given the habitat requirements for rivers with good water quality and riffles, this species should be considered a high priority for surveys in these habitat types.
Septima’s clubtail (Gomphus septima)

Septima’s clubtail is a medium-sized dull green and brown clubtail dragonfly with the lateral thoracic stripes nearly absent, no black facial stripes, and a small abdominal club which has small pale lateral spots (NatureServe 2010).

6. RIVER MUSSELS

Brook floater (Alasmidonta varicosa),

Roanoke slabshell (Elliptio roanokensis),

Atlantic pigtoe (Fusconaia masoni),

Yellow lampmussel (Lampsilis cariosa),

Eastern lampmussel (Lampsilis radiata),

Creeper (Strophitus undulatus),

Savannah lilliput (Toxolasma pullus),

Notched rainbow (Villosa constricta),

Eastern creekshell (Villosa delumbis), and

Carolina creekshell (Villosa vaughaniana).
Stream segments in Chatham County that support rare river mussel populations include the Deep River from Carbonton to Moncure, Brush Creek west of Siler City, portions of Rocky River especially between Woodys Dam

and Deep River, Bear Creek and Tick Creek south of the Rocky River, Haw River above Jordan Lake to the Orange County line, Terrells Creek west of the Haw River, Cape Fear River below Buckhorn Dam, and Buckhorn Creek from

Harris Lake Dam to Cape Fear River. There are no rare mussel species reported from lakes or impounded waters in Chatham County, but the Savannah Lilliput occurs in a nearby lake in Orange County, and the Triangle Floater,

Creeper, and Eastern Lampmussel are known to occur in lakes elsewhere.

7. PLANTS

Bog spicebush is a multi-stemmed, clonal, deciduous shrub, usually 1-2 m in height; occasionally up to 4 m. Leaves are bluish-green above and pale green and hairy below. Flowers are small and yellow and appear in clusters of 3-4. The fruit is a red drupe. Flowering occurs in early Spring, before the leaves appear (March-April), and fruits mature in late Summer.

Buttercup phacelia, or Buttercup scorpion-weed, is a small herbaceous spring ephemeral herb known only from floodplains and adjacent forests in the Cape Fear and Tar River basins in North Carolina, and from the Potomac River area of Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. (NatureServe 2009). Though considered rare, it can be locally abundant at some sites, with more than a million individuals.

Because this species is weedy in appearance, and similar in appearance to other more common species, such as Nemophylla aphylla, it can be easily overlooked. The best time to survey for Buttercup phacelia in Chatham County is April-May while the species is in bloom or in fruit, or as the leaves are starting to yellow and the plants begin to go dormant. The characters that help distinguish this species from Nemophylla aphylla include: pale blue or lavender flowers borne in 2-6 flowered cymes, with short pedicels and green fruits (vs. white solitary flowers on longer pedicels opposite the leaves, and purple fruits in Nemophylla).
In Chatham County, this species is locally abundant in areas of the Haw River floodplain and also in floodplains along the Deep River.
Harperella (Mock Bishop-weed) (Ptilimnium nodosum)

Harperella, or mock bishop-weed, is an annual herb that occurs on rocky gravel bars in free-flowing segments of the Tar River in Granville County and the Deep River in Chatham County. The small white flowers in umbellate clusters appear during summer and fall, but the flowering period at each site is shorter.
The only known population in Chatham County is within the Rocky River/Lower Deep Aquatic Habitat just downstream of the confluence of the Rocky and Deep Rivers. This population was re-introduced to the general location where there was an historic record of this species in the vicinity of the Lockville Dam.
Large witch alder (Fothergilla major)

Large witch alder is a colonial (clonal) shrub with white spikes of densely-packed flowers. This species occurs in dry ridgetop forests of middle elevation ridges in the mountains, especially along the Blue Ridge Escarpment, summits and upper slopes of Piedmont monadnocks, and north-facing bluffs in the lower Piedmont.

Piedmont horsebalm is a perennial herb that occurs in rich forests over calcareous or mafic substrates. This species produces cream to yellow flowers in late July through September, and fruits September-October (Weakley 2008).

Showy aster is an herbaceous perennial plant 1-2 feet tall. Flowers appear in late summer and early Fall, and are 1 to 1-1/2 inches across, with bright violet rays around a yellow disk. This species occurs mostly in dry, sandy woods and clearings (including fields and roadsides), mainly limited to coastal areas in the northeast US, but may be found inland in the southern portion of its range, which extends to Alabama and Georgia and includes North Carolina (NatureServe 2010).

Sweet pinesap is a small (3-10cm tall), mycotrophic plant that appears white (not green) – it receives its nutrition by association with mycorrhizal fungus, not by photosynthesis. The flowers appear in late Fall (September-November) and early Spring (February-April), and are very fragrant, with the odor variously described as similar to cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and violets. Since the plants are small and often covered by leaf litter, fragrance is often the key to finding this species.