What to look for in December
Species from our Wildlife Guide that you can find at River Island in December: what is in bloom, nesting, arriving or active first, then everything else that is around.
Fruits, nuts and seeds
American Holly
red berries persist through winter; eaten by many songbirds, gamebirds and mammals
Ilex opaca
Bald Cypress
round cones turn green to brownish purple; wood ducks, turkeys and squirrels eat the seeds
Taxodium distichum
Chinese Privet
berries ripen dark purple to black and persist into winter
Ligustrum sinense
Eastern Red Cedar
frosty blue berry-like cones on the tree Sept-Feb; songbirds and small mammals eat them
Juniperus virginiana
Japanese Honeysuckle
black berries persist into winter; eaten by turkeys, quail and songbirds
Lonicera japonica
Lilyturf
shiny black berries that last through winter
Liriope muscari
Loblolly Pine
cones ripen their second October; seeds fall Oct to mid-Dec, mostly November; squirrels and birds eat them
Pinus taeda
Nandina
bright red berries persist all winter; overeating them has killed cedar waxwings
Nandina domestica
Waxmyrtle
waxy bluish-white berries on female plants; songbirds such as myrtle warblers eat them in winter
Morella cerifera
Fall color
Elliott's Blueberry
scarlet red, holding well into winter
Vaccinium elliottii
Nesting and raising young
Bald Eagle
Georgia: eggs Nov-Feb, hatch Jan-Feb, young fledge late March to early May
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Great Horned Owl
eggs from December, hatch late Jan to Feb; young leave the nest early April to May
Bubo virginianus
Rock Pigeon
can nest in every month of the year
Columba livia
Breeding season
American Beaver
in Georgia beavers breed October through March; kits are born about 105-107 days later
Castor canadensis
Barred Owl
Strix varia
Eastern Fox Squirrel
two mating peaks: December-February and May-June
Sciurus niger
Eastern Gray Squirrel
mating peaks in January and June
Sciurus carolinensis
Eastern Newt
adults move into rain-filled ponds to court in winter and early spring
Notophthalmus viridescens
Mallard
males court females with head-shakes and wing-flaps; several may display around one female
Anas platyrhynchos
Pond Slider
mates in spring, fall and winter in South Carolina
Trachemys scripta
Three-lined Salamander
breeds in fall and winter; the eggs are rarely seen
Eurycea guttolineata
White-tailed Deer
Columbia County's rut peaks about Oct 20-26; bucks move more and cross roads
Odocoileus virginianus
Calling
Great Horned Owl
courtship hooting peaks December to early January in Georgia; listen at night
Bubo virginianus
Southern Leopard Frog
a chuckling croak; heavy winter rains can set off explosive breeding
Lithobates sphenocephalus
Emerging
Butterweed
winter annual; starts as a low rosette of lobed leaves
Packera glabella
Dormant for the winter
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
American Beech
Fagus grandifolia
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
American Elm
flower buds swell on bare twigs in early February
Ulmus americana
Autumn Olive
leafs out in early spring, ahead of most native plants
Elaeagnus umbellata
Bald Cypress
Taxodium distichum
Blue Flag Iris
winter dormant
Iris virginica
Brown Anole
hides under bark, shingles or in rotten logs in cool weather
Anolis sagrei
Carolina Silverbell
Halesia carolina
Copperhead
dens alone or with other snakes; may come out to bask on warm days
Agkistrodon contortrix
DeKay's Brownsnake
overwinters in ant mounds and old rodent burrows, often in groups
Storeria dekayi
Eastern Box Turtle
overwinters just under leaf litter; southern turtles may stir on warm days
Terrapene carolina carolina
Eastern Chipmunk
spends winter in its burrow in torpor, waking every few days to eat stored food
Tamias striatus
Eastern Diamond-backed Rattlesnake
overwinters in burrows such as gopher tortoise burrows, not communal dens
Crotalus adamanteus
Eastern Fence Lizard
may come out to bask on warm winter days
Sceloporus undulatus
Eastern Musk Turtle
buries in mud or debris under water once the water drops below about 50 F (10 C)
Sternotherus odoratus
Eastern Rat Snake
hibernates 2-4 months, often in hollow trees or stumps
Pantherophis alleghaniensis
Eastern Redbud
flowers open on bare twigs in March
Cercis canadensis
Flame Azalea
Rhododendron calendulaceum
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Fringe Tree
looks dead until the leaves and flowers appear
Chionanthus virginicus
Green Anole
hides under bark or in rotten logs in cold weather; out on warm sunny days
Anolis carolinensis
Green Ash
Fraxinus pennsylvanica
Inland Wood Oats
soft brown through winter; tattered by February
Chasmanthium latifolium
North American Racer
uses rodent burrows as short winter refuges
Coluber constrictor
Northern Cottonmouth
moves to overwintering sites in late October and early November
Agkistrodon piscivorus
Piedmont Azalea
Rhododendron canescens
Plain-bellied Watersnake
overwinters in animal or crayfish burrows, stream banks or rock piles
Nerodia erythrogaster
Purpletop Tridens
clumps turn brown
Tridens flavus
Red Buckeye
often drops its leaves in July-August heat; usually bare by the end of September
Aesculus pavia
Red Maple
flowers open on bare twigs in mid-winter
Acer rubrum
River Birch
Betula nigra
River Cooter
overwinters underwater in silty backwater pockets
Pseudemys concinna
Smooth Azalea
Rhododendron arborescens
Sourwood
Oxydendrum arboreum
Southeastern Mud Turtle
most adults overwinter on land, buried an inch or two deep in forest soil
Kinosternon subrubrum subrubrum
Southern Painted Turtle
may still be seen basking on warm winter days
Chrysemys dorsalis
Swamp Rose Mallow
Hibiscus moscheutos
Taro
Colocasia esculenta
Timber Rattlesnake
canebrakes overwinter alone or in small groups in stumps
Crotalus horridus
Tulip Tree
empty upright fruit cones stay on the bare branches
Liriodendron tulipfera
White Oak
Quercus alba
Willow Oak
Quercus phellos
Yellow Flag Iris
Iris pseudacorus
Yellow Passionflower
dies back to the ground each winter
Passiflora lutea
Also around in December
Birds
-
American Coot
Fulica americana
-
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
-
American Goldfinch
Spinus tristis
-
American Osprey
Pandion haliaetus carolinensis
-
Anhinga
Anhinga anhinga leucogaster
-
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
-
Blue Jay
Cyanocitta cristata
-
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
-
Carolina Chickadee
Poecile carolinensis
-
Carolina Wren
Thryothorus ludovicianus
-
Chipping Sparrow
Spizella passerina
-
Double-crested Cormorant
Nannopterum auritum
-
Downy Woodpecker
Dryobates pubescens
-
Eastern Bluebird
Sialia sialis
-
Eastern Phoebe
Sayornis phoebe
-
Eastern Screech-Owl
Megascops asio
-
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Streptopelia decaocto
-
Fish Crow
Corvus ossifragus
-
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
-
Great Egret
Ardea alba
-
Green-winged Teal
Anas crecca
-
House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanus
-
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
-
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
-
Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus
-
Pileated Woodpecker
Dryocopus pileatus
-
Pine Warbler
Setophaga pinus
-
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Melanerpes carolinus
-
Red-shouldered Hawk
Buteo lineatus
-
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
-
Ring-necked Duck
Aythya collaris
-
Tufted Titmouse
Baeolophus bicolor
-
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
-
Wild Turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
-
Wood Duck
Aix sponsa
-
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus varius
-
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Setophaga coronata
Mammals
-
Big Brown Bat
Eptesicus fuscus
-
Bobcat
Lynx rufus
-
Coyote
Canis latrans
-
Eastern Cottontail Rabbit
Sylvilagus floridanus
-
Gray Fox
Urocyon cinereoargenteus
-
Nine-banded Armadillo
Dasypus novemcinctus
-
Northern River Otter
Lontra canadensis
-
Raccoon
Procyon lotor
-
Red Fox
Vulpes vulpes
-
Striped Skunk
Mephitis mephitis
-
Virginia Opossum
Didelphis virginiana
Amphibians
-
Southern Two-lined Salamander
Eurycea cirrigera
Fish
-
Black Crappie
Pomoxis nigromaculatus
-
Bluegill
Lepomis macrochirus
-
Chain Pickerel
Esox niger
-
Channel Catfish
Ictalurus punctatus
-
Flathead Catfish
Pylodictis olivaris
-
Largemouth Bass
Micropterus nigricans
-
Redear Sunfish
Lepomis microlophus
-
Smallmouth Bass
Micropterus dolomieu
Plants
-
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
-
Crossvine
Bignonia capreolata
-
Devilwood
Cartrema americana
-
Leatherleaf Mahonia
Berberis bealei
Trees
-
Southern Magnolia
Magnolia grandiflora
-
Sweetbay Magnolia
Magnolia virginiana
See every species, in any month, in the Wildlife Guide.