What to look for in November
Species from our Wildlife Guide that you can find at River Island in November: what is in bloom, nesting, arriving or active first, then everything else that is around.
In bloom
Purpletop Tridens
airy panicles of reddish-purple spikelets
Tridens flavus
Fruits, nuts and seeds
American Beautyberry
magenta-purple berry clusters that persist after leaf drop; songbirds, quail and mammals eat them
Callicarpa americana
American Beech
beechnuts in prickly husks drop after the first hard frost; deer, turkeys, jays and bears eat them
Fagus grandifolia
American Holly
red berries persist through winter; eaten by many songbirds, gamebirds and mammals
Ilex opaca
Autumn Olive
red berries dotted with silvery scales; can hang on into late winter
Elaeagnus umbellata
Bald Cypress
round cones turn green to brownish purple; wood ducks, turkeys and squirrels eat the seeds
Taxodium distichum
Cardinal Flower
round seed capsules turn from green to brown
Lobelia cardinalis
Chinese Privet
berries ripen dark purple to black and persist into winter
Ligustrum sinense
Crossvine
long flat seed pods mature in late summer and persist into fall
Bignonia capreolata
Eastern Red Cedar
frosty blue berry-like cones on the tree Sept-Feb; songbirds and small mammals eat them
Juniperus virginiana
Inland Wood Oats
seed heads turn green to tan to purplish bronze; seeds eaten by small mammals and birds
Chasmanthium latifolium
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
Purpletop Tridens
reddish-purple seed heads persist into fall
Tridens flavus
Southern Magnolia
cone-like fruit clusters; birds and small mammals eat the seeds
Magnolia grandiflora
Tulip Tree
upright cone of winged samaras; most shed Oct-Nov, a few into March
Liriodendron tulipfera
Waxmyrtle
waxy bluish-white berries on female plants; songbirds such as myrtle warblers eat them in winter
Morella cerifera
White Oak
acorns ripen in one season and sprout soon after falling; deer, turkeys, jays and bears eat them
Quercus alba
Willow Oak
small acorns take two seasons; squirrels, ducks, deer, turkeys and quail eat them
Quercus phellos
Fall color
American Beautyberry
leaves turn pale chartreuse to yellow
Callicarpa americana
American Beech
golden bronze; leaves often hang on into winter
Fagus grandifolia
American Elderberry
leaves turn yellow
Sambucus canadensis
American Elm
an undistinguished yellow
Ulmus americana
Bald Cypress
orange to cinnamon-brown, around Thanksgiving; needles and twigs fall together
Taxodium distichum
Eastern Redbud
yellow
Cercis canadensis
Elliott's Blueberry
scarlet red, holding well into winter
Vaccinium elliottii
Flame Azalea
yellow-red
Rhododendron calendulaceum
Flowering Dogwood
red to reddish purple
Cornus florida
Fringe Tree
yellow, often not showy
Chionanthus virginicus
Green Ash
yellow to bronze
Fraxinus pennsylvanica
Inland Wood Oats
leaves turn yellow-gold in sun
Chasmanthium latifolium
Nandina
leaves often turn purplish-red, though not dependably
Nandina domestica
Piedmont Azalea
burgundy red
Rhododendron canescens
Red Maple
red, orange and yellow
Acer rubrum
Smooth Azalea
orange to crimson or purple
Rhododendron arborescens
Tulip Tree
golden yellow
Liriodendron tulipfera
White Oak
purplish brown to reddish brown, late; a few leaves hang on into winter
Quercus alba
Willow Oak
yellowish orange-brown to red-brown, not showy
Quercus phellos
Nesting and raising young
Bald Eagle
Georgia: eggs Nov-Feb, hatch Jan-Feb, young fledge late March to early May
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Eurasian Collared-Dove
3-4 broods a year; can nest in any month with enough food
Streptopelia decaocto
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
Big Brown Bat
mates in fall; females do not become pregnant until about early April
Eptesicus fuscus
Common Snapping Turtle
Chelydra serpentina
Eastern Musk Turtle
Sternotherus odoratus
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
Emerging
Butterweed
winter annual; starts as a low rosette of lobed leaves
Packera glabella
Arriving
American Goldfinch
northern goldfinches swell winter flocks; county reports peak in February
Spinus tristis
Chipping Sparrow
northern birds swell winter flocks; county reports peak November to March
Spizella passerina
Double-crested Cormorant
wintering cormorants from the north; county reports climb in November
Nannopterum auritum
Green-winged Teal
Anas crecca
Ring-necked Duck
Aythya collaris
Passing through
Gulf Fritillary
big southward flights toward Florida from late summer through fall
Dione vanillae
Peregrine Falcon
rare; local records fall between mid-September and mid-November
Falco peregrinus
Leaving
Fish Crow
county reports drop sharply in November; a few stay the winter
Corvus ossifragus
Dormant for the winter
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
Red Buckeye
often drops its leaves in July-August heat; usually bare by the end of September
Aesculus pavia
River Birch
Betula nigra
Southeastern Mud Turtle
most adults overwinter on land, buried an inch or two deep in forest soil
Kinosternon subrubrum subrubrum
Swamp Rose Mallow
Hibiscus moscheutos
Taro
Colocasia esculenta
Timber Rattlesnake
canebrakes overwinter alone or in small groups in stumps
Crotalus horridus
Also around in November
Birds
-
American Coot
Fulica americana
-
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
-
American Osprey
Pandion haliaetus carolinensis
-
Anhinga
Anhinga anhinga leucogaster
-
Barred Owl
Strix varia
-
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
-
Blue Jay
Cyanocitta cristata
-
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
-
Carolina Chickadee
Poecile carolinensis
-
Carolina Wren
Thryothorus ludovicianus
-
Downy Woodpecker
Dryobates pubescens
-
Eastern Bluebird
Sialia sialis
-
Eastern Phoebe
Sayornis phoebe
-
Eastern Screech-Owl
Megascops asio
-
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
-
Great Egret
Ardea alba
-
Great Horned Owl
Bubo virginianus
-
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
-
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
-
Bobcat
Lynx rufus
-
Coyote
Canis latrans
-
Eastern Chipmunk
Tamias striatus
-
Eastern Cottontail Rabbit
Sylvilagus floridanus
-
Eastern Fox Squirrel
Sciurus niger
-
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
-
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
Reptiles
-
Brown Anole
Anolis sagrei
-
Brown Watersnake
Nerodia taxispilota
-
Eastern Box Turtle
Terrapene carolina carolina
-
Eastern Diamond-backed Rattlesnake
Crotalus adamanteus
Dangerous
-
Eastern Fence Lizard
Sceloporus undulatus
-
Eastern Rat Snake
Pantherophis alleghaniensis
-
Green Anole
Anolis carolinensis
-
North American Racer
Coluber constrictor
-
Northern Cottonmouth
Agkistrodon piscivorus
Dangerous
-
Plain-bellied Watersnake
Nerodia erythrogaster
-
River Cooter
Pseudemys concinna
-
Scarlet Kingsnake
Lampropeltis elapsoides
-
Southern Painted Turtle
Chrysemys dorsalis
Amphibians
-
Eastern Newt
Notophthalmus viridescens
-
Southern Leopard Frog
Lithobates sphenocephalus
-
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
Insects
-
American Lady
Vanessa virginiensis
-
Common Buckeye
Junonia coenia
-
Common Eastern Bumblebee
Bombus impatiens
-
Fraternal Potter Wasp
Eumenes fraternus
-
Monarch Butterfly
Danaus plexippus
Plants
-
Blue Flag Iris
Iris virginica
-
Devilwood
Cartrema americana
-
Leatherleaf Mahonia
Berberis bealei
-
Yellow Flag Iris
Iris pseudacorus
-
Yellow Passionflower
Passiflora lutea
Trees
-
Sourwood
Oxydendrum arboreum
-
Sweetbay Magnolia
Magnolia virginiana
See every species, in any month, in the Wildlife Guide.