What to look for in September
Species from our Wildlife Guide that you can find at River Island in September: what is in bloom, nesting, arriving or active first, then everything else that is around.
In bloom
Cardinal Flower
scarlet tubular flowers open up the spike; hummingbirds are the main pollinator
Lobelia cardinalis
Inland Wood Oats
drooping, flat oat-like spikelets on arching stems
Chasmanthium latifolium
Japanese Honeysuckle
fragrant white flowers fading to yellow; heaviest in spring, sporadic into fall
Lonicera japonica
Lilyturf
erect spikes of small purple flowers above the leaves
Liriope muscari
Purpletop Tridens
airy panicles of reddish-purple spikelets
Tridens flavus
Swamp Rose Mallow
large white to pink flowers, each open one day; visited by hummingbirds
Hibiscus moscheutos
Yellow Passionflower
small pale greenish-yellow flowers
Passiflora lutea
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 Elderberry
drooping clusters of purple-black berries; relished by many birds and mammals
Sambucus canadensis
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
Blue Flag Iris
green seed capsules turning brown
Iris virginica
Cardinal Flower
round seed capsules turn from green to brown
Lobelia cardinalis
Carolina Silverbell
four-winged dry fruit turns brown and hangs on into winter
Halesia carolina
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
Devilwood
dark blue olive-like drupes; eaten by birds and small mammals
Cartrema americana
Eastern Redbud
flat pods reach full size by midsummer; many hang on after leaf fall
Cercis canadensis
Eastern Red Cedar
frosty blue berry-like cones on the tree Sept-Feb; songbirds and small mammals eat them
Juniperus virginiana
Flame Azalea
Rhododendron calendulaceum
Flowering Dogwood
glossy red fruits; songbirds, quail, wild turkeys, chipmunks and black bears eat them
Cornus florida
Fringe Tree
olive-like fruits ripen dark blue-black; songbirds and small mammals eat them
Chionanthus virginicus
Green Ash
single-winged samaras in hanging clusters, some into winter; birds and squirrels eat the seeds
Fraxinus pennsylvanica
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
Nandina
bright red berries persist all winter; overeating them has killed cedar waxwings
Nandina domestica
Piedmont Azalea
Rhododendron canescens
Purpletop Tridens
reddish-purple seed heads persist into fall
Tridens flavus
Red Buckeye
globular light brown seed capsules
Aesculus pavia
Smooth Azalea
Rhododendron arborescens
Sourwood
small capsules ripen silver-gray and hang on into winter
Oxydendrum arboreum
Southern Magnolia
cone-like fruit clusters; birds and small mammals eat the seeds
Magnolia grandiflora
Swamp Rose Mallow
beaked seed capsules turn brown 4-5 weeks after flowering
Hibiscus moscheutos
Sweetbay Magnolia
cone-like fruits with bright red seeds; birds and small mammals eat them
Magnolia virginiana
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
Yellow Flag Iris
capsules hold about 120 seeds that harden and turn brown
Iris pseudacorus
Yellow Passionflower
marble-size dark purple to black berries
Passiflora lutea
Fall color
Sourwood
scarlet to crimson in early fall, among the first trees to color
Oxydendrum arboreum
Nesting and raising young
American Goldfinch
one of the latest nesters; waits for thistle and other weeds to go to seed
Spinus tristis
Brown Anole
one egg about every 14 days in moist soil or rotten wood; hatches in 30-45 days
Anolis sagrei
Carolina Wren
often raises a second brood; nests in odd spots such as mailboxes and flower pots
Thryothorus ludovicianus
Eurasian Collared-Dove
3-4 broods a year; can nest in any month with enough food
Streptopelia decaocto
Mourning Dove
peaks May into July; Georgia doves average three nestings a year
Zenaida macroura
Northern Cardinal
first nests built early to mid-March; three or more broods in the Carolina Piedmont
Cardinalis cardinalis
Rock Pigeon
can nest in every month of the year
Columba livia
Breeding season
Big Brown Bat
mates in fall; females do not become pregnant until about early April
Eptesicus fuscus
Brown Anole
territorial males display an orange-red dewlap
Anolis sagrei
Common Snapping Turtle
Chelydra serpentina
Copperhead
live young born late summer to early fall; newborns have a yellow tail tip
Agkistrodon contortrix
Eastern Box Turtle
most often seen in fall, when males search for females
Terrapene carolina carolina
Eastern Cottontail Rabbit
breeds February to September; does have 3-7 litters a year
Sylvilagus floridanus
Eastern Diamond-backed Rattlesnake
live young born the following year, late July to early October
Crotalus adamanteus
Eastern Musk Turtle
Sternotherus odoratus
Monarch Butterfly
eggs on milkweed; cut milkweed back in midsummer for fresh leaves in Aug-Sep
Danaus plexippus
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
Timber Rattlesnake
males roam widely; 5-20 live young are born the next year, Aug-Sep
Crotalus horridus
Calling
American Green Treefrog
males call a nasal, duck-like 'queenk' from plants at pond and swamp edges
Hyla cinerea
Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad
heavy rains on warm nights set off a nasal, bleating 'waaah' from shallow pools
Gastrophryne carolinensis
Emerging
Eastern Newt
young orange efts leave the water for the forest floor in late summer or early fall
Notophthalmus viridescens
Passing through
Blue-winged Teal
early fall migrant: first birds late August, peak September to early October
Spatula discors
Blue Jay
migrant jays from the north join locals; county reports peak late Sep-Oct
Cyanocitta cristata
Common Buckeye
buckeyes from farther north move south after September-October cold fronts
Junonia coenia
Gulf Fritillary
big southward flights toward Florida from late summer through fall
Dione vanillae
Monarch Butterfly
fall migrants head for Mexico; asters and goldenrods fuel them in Sep-Oct
Danaus plexippus
Peregrine Falcon
rare; local records fall between mid-September and mid-November
Falco peregrinus
Leaving
American Osprey
county reports drop sharply in early September; a few stay the winter
Pandion haliaetus carolinensis
Green Heron
Butorides virescens
Also around in September
Birds
-
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
-
Anhinga
Anhinga anhinga leucogaster
-
Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
-
Barred Owl
Strix varia
-
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
-
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
-
Carolina Chickadee
Poecile carolinensis
-
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
-
Fish Crow
Corvus ossifragus
-
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
-
Great Egret
Ardea alba
-
Great Horned Owl
Bubo virginianus
-
House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanus
-
Little Blue Heron
Egretta caerulea
-
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
-
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
Mammals
-
American Beaver
Castor canadensis
-
Bobcat
Lynx rufus
-
Coyote
Canis latrans
-
Eastern Chipmunk
Tamias striatus
-
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
-
White-tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
Reptiles
-
Brown Watersnake
Nerodia taxispilota
-
DeKay's Brownsnake
Storeria dekayi
-
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
-
Southeastern Mud Turtle
Kinosternon subrubrum subrubrum
-
Southern Painted Turtle
Chrysemys dorsalis
Amphibians
-
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 Bumblebee
Bombus pensylvanicus
-
American Lady
Vanessa virginiensis
-
Black Swallowtail
Papilio polyxenes
-
Carolina Sphinx
Manduca sexta
-
Carpenter-mimic Leafcutter Bee
Megachile xylocopoides
-
Common Eastern Bumblebee
Bombus impatiens
-
Eastern Carpenter Bee
Xylocopa virginica
-
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio glaucus
-
Fraternal Potter Wasp
Eumenes fraternus
-
Giant Leopard Moth
Hypercompe scribonia
-
Great Black Digger Wasp
Sphex pensylvanicus
-
Luna Moth
Actias luna
-
Polyphemus Moth
Antheraea polyphemus
-
Snowberry Clearwing
Hemaris diffinis
-
Viceroy
Limenitis archippus
-
Virginia Creeper Sphinx
Darapsa myron
-
Wavy-lined Emerald
Synchlora aerata
Plants
-
Elliott's Blueberry
Vaccinium elliottii
-
Leatherleaf Mahonia
Berberis bealei
-
Taro
Colocasia esculenta
Trees
-
American Elm
Ulmus americana
-
Bald Cypress
Taxodium distichum
-
Loblolly Pine
Pinus taeda
-
Red Maple
Acer rubrum
-
River Birch
Betula nigra
See every species, in any month, in the Wildlife Guide.