Habitats of North Carolina

Early Succesional and Semi-Natural Habitats
General Successional Fields and Forblands

Habitat Overview

This habitat is composed of open, forb-dominated fields that invade lands opened up by disturbances; in our area, these fields follow clearing of forests, or the abandonment of cultivated fields which themselves occupy lands once covered with forests. If left to natural processes, these habitats are transitory and will eventually be replaced by the return of forests. This habitat includes the most generalized examples, with its species occurring in at least two of the state's physiographic provinces. Soils typically have some loammy content; fields growing on sandy substrates are treated separately. Both upland and lowland examples are included.

The Determining Plant Species of this habitat type mainly consist of dicot forbs and vines; the grasses that typically occur in successional fields are treated separately in the General Successional and Semi-Natural Grasslands habitat, which strongly intersects the one considered here but has a somewhat different ecological trajectory. Similarly, the trees associated with successional or semi-natural grasslands are covered in the Forest-Field Ecotones and Groves habitat.

Animal members of this habitat group are in some cases obligate herbivores on the plant members of the group but most are associated more generally with areas of dense herbaceous vegetation. Like the plant species, these animals are well-adapted for dispersal, allowing them to keep up with a constantly changing environment. Several of the insects belonging to this group -- especially the butterflies -- lead a nomadic, migratory lifestyle, reproducing opportunistically whenever they find suitable populations of their host plants.

Although now associated with human-disturbed landscapes, the native species that we include as members of this habitat were originally adapted to rapidly colonizing lands where forest cover was destroyed by floods, fire, or storms. Some are found in other, more persistent types of open habitats but the majority of the occurrences of these species are believed to associated with sites undergoing succession back to forest. Under natural conditions, these habitats are fairly ephemeral, with the species needing to be well-adapted to dispersal in order to keep up with shifting landscape conditions.

Following conversion of much of the former forest lands in eastern North America to croplands, these species became much more common and widespread than their original condition. They are now so associated with abandoned farm lands that they are now described as "old field" species. Although many exotic "weeds" are now major components of successional habitats, these are left out of consideration in determining the conservation needs of this habitat.

Related NHP Natural Communities

This habitat does not match any of the NHP Natural Communities (Schafale and Weakley, 1990; Schafale, 2012), which generally includes associations that persist through long period of time rather than being as transitory as this habitat normally is at any one site.

Determining Species

Taxa	Global Rank	State Rank	Probability of Extirpation (PE)
BUTTERFLIES
Abaeis nicippe - Sleepy Orange	G5	S5	0.00
Euptoieta claudia - Variegated Fritillary	G5	S5	0.00
Junonia coenia - Common Buckeye	G5	S5	0.00
Lycaena phlaeas - American Copper	G5	S3S4	0.0020
Papilio polyxenes - Black Swallowtail	G5	S5	0.00
Phoebis sennae - Cloudless Sulphur	G5	S5	0.00
Pholisora catullus - Common Sootywing	G5	S5	0.00
Pontia protodice - Checkered White	G5	S1S2	0.1284
Pyrisitia lisa - Little Yellow	G5	S4	0.0007
Vanessa virginiensis - American Lady	G5	S5	0.00
FORBS
Achillea borealis - American Yarrow	G5	S5	0.00
Agalinis purpurea - Purple False Foxglove	G5	S5	0.00
Amaranthus hybridus - Smooth Pigweed	G5	S5	0.00
Ambrosia artemisiifolia - Annual Ragweed	G5	S5	0.00
Ambrosia trifida - Giant Ragweed	G5	S5	0.00
Antennaria parlinii - Parlin's Pussytoes	G5	S4	0.0007
Chamaecrista fasciculata - Common Partridge-pea	G5	S5	0.00
Chamaecrista nictitans - Sensitive Partridge-pea	G5	S5	0.00
Chenopodium album - Lamb's-quarters	G5	S5	0.00
Coreopsis lanceolata - Lanceleaf Tickseed	G5	S5	0.00
Erigeron canadensis - Common Horseweed	G5	S5	0.00
Eupatorium capillifolium - Dog-fennel	G5	S5	0.00
Eupatorium hyssopifolium - Hyssopleaf Thoroughwort	G5	S5	0.00
Eupatorium pubescens - Hairy Thoroughwort	G5	S1	0.3584
Euphorbia nutans - Nodding Spurge	G5	S5	0.00
Gamochaeta argyrinea - Silvery Everlasting	GNR	S5	0.00
Hypericum gentianoides - Pineweed	G5	S5	0.00
Hypericum punctatum - Spotted St. John's-wort	G5	S5	0.00
Ipomoea coccinea - Red Morning-glory	GNR	S5	0.00
Ipomoea hederacea - Ivyleaf Morning-glory	G5	S5	0.00
Krigia cespitosa - Opposite-leaf Dwarf-dandelion	G5	S3	0.0058
Krigia dandelion - Potato Dwarf-dandelion	G5	S4	0.0007
Krigia virginica - Virginia Dwarf-dandelion	G5	S5	0.00
Lactuca canadensis - Canada Lettuce	G5	S5	0.00
Oenothera biennis - Common Evening-primrose	G5	S5	0.00
Oenothera laciniata - Cutleaf Evening-primrose	G5	S5	0.00
Oxalis stricta - Common Yellow Woodsorrel	G5	S5	0.00
Passiflora incarnata - Maypops	G5	S5	0.00
Persicaria pensylvanica - Pennsylvania Smartweed	G5	S5	0.00
Phytolacca americana - American Pokeweed	G5	S5	0.00
Plantago heterophylla - Slender Plantain	G5	S5	0.00
Polypremum procumbens - Juniper-leaf	G5	S5	0.00
Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium - Fragrant Rabbit-tobacco	G5	S5	0.00
Rudbeckia hirta - Black-eyed Susan	G5	S5	0.00
Solanum carolinense - Carolina Horsenettle	G5	S5	0.00
Solidago altissima - Tall Goldenrod	G5	S5	0.00
Solidago erecta - Slender Goldenrod	G5	S5	0.00
Solidago gigantea - Giant Goldenrod	G5	S5	0.00
Symphyotrichum dumosum - Bushy Aster	G5	S5	0.00
Symphyotrichum pilosum - Frost Aster	G5	S5	0.00
MOTHS
Astrotischeria solidagonifoliella	GNR	SU	0.0020
Caenurgia chloropha - Vetch Looper	G5	S5	0.00
Caenurgina crassiuscula - Clover Looper	G5	S4	0.0007
Chlorochlamys chloroleucaria - Blackberry Looper	G5	S5	0.00
Cirrhophanus triangulifer - Goldenrod Stowaway Moth	G4	SU	0.0020
Condica mobilis - Mobile Groundling Moth	G5	S5	0.00
Condica sutor - Cobbler Moth	G5	S5	0.00
Condica vecors - Dusky Groundling Moth	G5	S5	0.00
Condica videns - White-dotted Groundling Moth	G5	S5	0.00
Cremastobombycia solidaginis	GNR	SU	0.0020
Ctenoplusia oxygramma - Sharp-stigma Looper	G5	S4S5	0.0002
Dichomeris aglaia	GNR	S3S4	0.0020
Dichomeris flavocostella - Cream-edged Dichomeris Moth	GNR	S3S5	0.0007
Disclisioprocta stellata - Somber Carpet Moth	G5	S5	0.00
Epiblema otiosana - Bidens Borer Moth	GNR	S4S5	0.0002
Epiblema scudderiana - Goldenrod Gall Moth	GNR	S4S5	0.0002
Eublemma minima - Everlasting Bud Moth	G5	S5	0.00
Frumenta nundinella	GNR	SU	0.0020
Gnorimoschema gallaesolidaginis - Goldenrod Gall Moth	GNR	SU	0.0020
Hyles lineata - White-lined Sphinx	G5	S5	0.00
Idaea demissaria - Red-Bordered Wave Moth	G5	S5	0.00
Lesmone detrahens - Detracted Owlet Moth	G5	S4S5	0.0002
Lobocleta ossularia - Drab Brown Wave Moth	G5	S4S5	0.0002
Lycomorpha pholus - Black-and-yellow Lichen Moth	G5	SU	0.0020
Ogdoconta cinereola - Common Pinkband Moth	G5	S5	0.00
Pelochrista similiana	GNR	S3S5	0.0007
Ponometia candefacta - Olive-shaded Bird-dropping Moth	G5	S5	0.00
Ponometia erastrioides - Small Bird-dropping Moth	G5	S3S4	0.0020
Schinia arcigera - Arcigera Flower Moth	G5	S5	0.00
Schinia nundina - Goldenrod Flower Moth	G5	S4S5	0.0002
Schinia rivulosa - Ragweed Flower Moth	G5	S5	0.00
Schinia thoreaui - Thoreau's Flower Moth	G5	S3S4	0.0020
Schinia trifascia - Three-lined Flower Moth	G5	S4S5	0.0002
Synchlora aerata - Wavy-lined Emerald	G5	S5	0.00
Synchlora frondaria - Southern Emerald Moth	G5	S5	0.00
Timandra amaturaria - Cross-lined Wave Moth	G5	S3S4	0.0020
Tornos scolopacinaria - Dimorphic Gray Moth	G4	S3S4	0.0020
Trichordestra legitima - Striped Garden Caterpillar Moth	G5	S4S5	0.0002
HEMIPTERAN HOPPERS
Campylenchia latipes
Limotettix anthracinus
Mesamia nigridorsum
Pissonotus brunneus
Publilia reticulata
ORTHOPTERANS
Conocephalus brevipennis - Short-Winged Meadow Katydid	G5	S5	0.00
Conocephalus fasciatus - Slender Meadow Katydid	G5	S5	0.00
Melanoplus femurrubrum - Red-legged Grasshopper	G5	S5	0.00
Melanoplus sanguinipes atlanis - Lesser Migratory Locust
Melanoplus scudderi - Scudder's Short-winged Locust	G5	S5	0.00
Oecanthus latipennis - Broad-Winged Tree Cricket	GNR	S4S5	0.0002
Oecanthus quadripunctatus - Four-Spotted Tree Cricket	G5	S5	0.00
Orchelimum vulgare - Common Meadow Katydid	G5	S4S5	0.0002
Scudderia cuneata - Southeastern Bush Katydid	GNR	S3S4	0.0020
Scudderia curvicauda - Curve-Tailed Bush Katydid	G5	S3S4	0.0020
Scudderia furcata - Fork-Tailed Bush Katydid	G5	S5	0.00
Scudderia texensis - Texas Bush Katydid	GNR	S4S5	0.0002
MAMMALS
Cryptotis parva - North American Least Shrew	G5	S5	0.00
BIRDS
Icteria virens - Yellow-breasted Chat	G5	S5	0.00
Lanius ludovicianus - Loggerhead Shrike	G4	S3	0.0058
Passerina caerulea - Blue Grosbeak	G5	S5	0.00
Passerina cyanea - Indigo Bunting	G5	S5	0.00
Spizella pusilla - Field Sparrow	G5	S5	0.00
orth
Melanoplus propinquus
LIZARDS
Ophisaurus attenuatus - Slender Glass Lizard	G5	S2	0.0460
VINES
Rubus flagellaris - Northern Dewberry	G5	S5	0.00
Rubus occidentalis - Black Raspberry	G5	S4	0.0007
Rubus pensilvanicus - Pennsylvania Blackberry	G5	S5	0.00
Rubus trivialis - Southern Dewberry	G5	S3	0.0058
FERNS
Sceptridium lunarioides - Winter Grapefern	G4	SH	0.00
Expected Number of Extirpations with a PE value (Sum of PE) = 0.5853
N = Number of Extant Species with a PE value = 38
Average PE = ENE/N = 0.0154
Number of S5 species = 72
Proportion of Secure Species = Number of S5 Species/N = 1.8947
Habitat Risk Index = ENE x (1 – PSS) = -0.5237

Phagic and Competitory Symbioses: (Ambrosia species/Chionodes mediofuscella-Ponometia candefacta-Ponometia erastrioides-Schinia rivulosa-Schinia thoreaui-Spragueia leo) // (Apiaceae species/Papilio polyxenes) // (Asteraceae species/Astrotischeria heliopsisella-Condica sutor-Condica videns-Dichomeris flavocostella-Leuconycta diphteroides-Ogdoconta cinereola-Perigea xanthioides-Vanessa virginiensis) // (Bidens species/Cirrhophanus triangulifer) // (Brassicaceae species/Pontia protodice) // (Chamaecrista species/Abaeis nicippe-Phoebis sennae-Pyrisitia lisa) // (Eupatorium species/Schinia trifascia) // (Helianthus species/Mesamia nigridorsum) // (Polygonaceae species/Timandra amaturaria) // (Rubus species/Coptotriche aenea) // (Rumex species/Lycaena phlaeas) // (Solidago species/Astrotischeria solidagonifoliella-Epiblema scudderiana-Gnorimoschema gallaesolidaginis-Limotettix anthracinus-Pelochrista similiana-Schinia nundina)

Candidates for Inclusion

Habitat Sub-sets

Some of the species included in this habitat may prefer either wetter soil conditions or drier than the rest of the defining species and may need to be placed is separate habitats

Distribution Map

Distribution

Survey Coverage Map

Survey Coverage

Survey Priorities

Average Imperilment of Habitat Members

Habitat Conservation Status

High Quality Habitat Occurrence Table

High Quality Habitat Occurrences

Protected Habitat Occurrences

Threats and Trends

Status Summary

Stewardship Recommendations

References

Oosting, H.J., 1942. An ecological analysis of the plant communities of Piedmont, North Carolina. American Midland Naturalist 28:1-126.

Sharpe, T., 2010. Idle-Area Management. In: Tarheel wildlife-A guide for managing wildlife on private lands in North Carolilna. North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, Raleigh, North Carolina. Available online at: https://www.ncwildlife.org/Portals/0/Hunting/Documents/Tarheel_Wildlife.pdf

Updated on

2021-08-06 22:21:29