Southern Piedmont Natural History

Southern Piedmont Natural History Learn about common plants, fungi, and wildlife in the Piedmont of the Carolinas & Georgia and surrounding regions. Interested in learning more?

This page focuses on the natural history of the Piedmont in the Carolinas & Georgia, but many of the organisms occur across the Eastern United States. The Field Guide to the Southern Piedmont can be downloaded for FREE from https://www.uscupstate.edu/fieldguide

This page is run by Jon Storm, Ph.D. He’s a Professor of Biology at the University of South Carolina Upstate who’s super laid back and has all of his shots. If your group is interested in a seminar, contact [email protected]

One of the sphinx moths that might pollinate Common Evening-primrose (Oenothera biennis) at night is the Plebeian Sphinx...
09/06/2026

One of the sphinx moths that might pollinate Common Evening-primrose (Oenothera biennis) at night is the Plebeian Sphinx (Paratrea plebeja). As its name suggests, this moth is common to find (Plebeians were the common folk of Ancient Rome).

Do you see it? If you’re out on a river or lake this Labor Day weekend, you might see a Northern Watersnake (Nerodia sip...
09/05/2026

Do you see it? If you’re out on a river or lake this Labor Day weekend, you might see a Northern Watersnake (Nerodia sipedon) sunning on a rock. These harmless snakes are common across the central and eastern United States. They hunt for fish and frogs during the daytime, but can transition to being more nocturnal during hot weather.

Unfortunately, some people harm Northern Watersnakes out of fear that they’re a Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus). Across much of the Piedmont region, though, Cottonmouths are rare to absent and are they restricted to the Coastal Plain. If you get close to a Northern Watersnake, they almost always slither into the water and swim away to cover. More information is in the comments.

Red-bellied Snakes (Storeria occipitomaculata) are common across the eastern US in woodlands, gardens, and yards. They’r...
09/04/2026

Red-bellied Snakes (Storeria occipitomaculata) are common across the eastern US in woodlands, gardens, and yards. They’re harmless to people and pets and are beneficial around the garden as they feed heavily on slugs! Did someone say FREE slug control?

Their top color is quite variable, being shades of orange, brown, gray, or black. Their namesake belly is orangish-red to red. They’re small too, generally being just 5-10 inches long. Red-bellied Snakes spend most of their time under leaf litter, logs, or rocks, but you might find one while planting bulbs or digging in the dirt.

Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) is in bloom this time of year. It’s uncommon in the Piedmont of Georgia and Sou...
09/03/2026

Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) is in bloom this time of year. It’s uncommon in the Piedmont of Georgia and South Carolina, but you can find it in the adjacent mountains and in the Piedmont of North Carolina and points further north. The bright blue flowers are pollinated by bees and I’ve enjoyed watching them visit the flowers in my yard. Great Blue Lobelia is native to eastern North America and it’s often available at native plant sales. I bought this one at the Upstate South Carolina Native Plant Society spring plant sale, for instance. As a bonus, deer typically avoid eating it.

You may be curious about the ‘siphilitica’ part of its scientific/botanical name. Carl Linnaeus gave the plant this name in 1753 in recognition of its use by many Native American cultures (and later, Europeans) as a treatment for syphilis. It turns out that Great Blue Lobelia doesn’t have any effect on syphilis. All parts of the plant are toxic.

Tall Thistle (Cirsium altissimum) blooms from late summer to early fall in fields, roadsides, and woodland margins. True...
09/02/2026

Tall Thistle (Cirsium altissimum) blooms from late summer to early fall in fields, roadsides, and woodland margins. True to its name, it grows up to eight feet tall! A wide range of bees and butterflies pollinate its flowers, including this eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus).

The pointed, green bracts under the flowers of Tall Thistle are arachnose, a botanical term for their covering of fine hairs that resemble spider silk. Arachno- means ‘spider’ in Greek.

Pale Indian Plantain (Arnoglossum atriplicifolium) is native to bottomland forests of the eastern United States. You can...
09/02/2026

Pale Indian Plantain (Arnoglossum atriplicifolium) is native to bottomland forests of the eastern United States. You can find its light green flowers blooming from mid-summer to early autumn.

Wondering if that big spider is a Joro Spider (Trichonephila clavata)? 🤔 Here’s a comparison between it and three of our...
08/31/2026

Wondering if that big spider is a Joro Spider (Trichonephila clavata)? 🤔

Here’s a comparison between it and three of our large native spiders folks might confuse with a Joro.

Have you seen a spider like this around your home? Eastern Funnelweb Spiders (Agelenopsis naevia) are common around yard...
08/30/2026

Have you seen a spider like this around your home?

Eastern Funnelweb Spiders (Agelenopsis naevia) are common around yards and open fields in the eastern United States. I’ve got a couple of them living in window sills around my home. This harmless spider often builds a flat sheet web of silk that isn’t sticky. The spider hides in a funnel-shaped retreat in the web. When invertebrate prey stumble onto its web, the spider quickly runs out and grabs them.

The long, finger-like posterior spinnerets at the end of the body help identify this individual as a funnelweb spider. There are a few other species that the Eastern Funnelweb Spider can easily be confused with, though, so close examination of the genitalia is often required. I won’t tell if you’re content to just call them a “spider.” 🤣

Tall Ironweed (Vernonia gigantea) blooms from mid-summer to early fall in woodland edges, pastures, and roadsides. It’s ...
08/29/2026

Tall Ironweed (Vernonia gigantea) blooms from mid-summer to early fall in woodland edges, pastures, and roadsides. It’s native to the eastern US and a wide range variety of butterflies and bees pollinate its flowers. The name Ironweed comes from the toughness of its stem and how challenging it is to uproot this native plant.

If you look up into a Common Pawpaw tree (Asimina triloba) this time of year, you might see these large green fruits de...
08/28/2026

If you look up into a Common Pawpaw tree (Asimina triloba) this time of year, you might see these large green fruits developing. Pawpaws are the largest edible native fruit in the United States. They mature in late summer and have a flavor that resembles a mixture of banana, mango, and pineapple. If you get to them before the raccoons and opossums, paw paws can be eaten raw or turned into a dessert such as a pudding. They spoil quickly and will easily bruise, though, which is part of the reason Pawpaws have not been developed into a major fruit crop.

Common Pawpaw is native to bottomland hardwood forests across the eastern United States. Have you been seen any pawpaw fruits this summer?

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