The mink belongs to the weasel family and is native to North Carolina.
Go native...with native North Carolina plants to attract native wildlife. Non-native species compete for habitat with native species and introduce diseases and parasites that native species cannot fight. For example, the American chestnut tree, a native tree in North Carolina, faced extinction from chestnut blight just five years after the importation of Chinese chestnut tree to New York in 1904. Native plants and animals play an integral part in the health of North Carolina ecosystem.
Carolina Pine
The Carolina pine, also called the loblolly pine, is native to North Carolina, though it flourishes as far north as New Jersey and west into Tennessee. According to University of Florida IFAS Extension, "50 percent of standing pine in the southeast is loblolly." It grows quickly and is used in commercial timber production. The trees usually end up as pulp or paper. This species provides ample food for wildlife species like red crossbills, endangered fox squirrels and the red-cockaded woodpecker. Osprey and eagles also nest in the trees.
Mink
Native to much of the eastern United States, the first documented appearance of the mink occurred in 1777. The elegant mink has a glossy blackish coat, weighs 1.2 to 2.75 pounds and grows up to 27.5 inches long. It gives birth to its young in early summer and relies on its mother for nine weeks.
Golden Eagle
Golden Eagle
The golden eagle reach lengths of 41 inches with a wingspan of 78 inches. The golden eagle looks like a brown bald eagle, with the same hooked beak, sharp talons and golden yellow eyes. In North Carolina, the birds prefers the mountainous areas with open meadows such as those located at Graveyard Fields in Haywood County. The sharp-eyed eagle eats rodents and small mammals. Humans once hunted and killed golden eagles for preying on livestock, but now the law protects the species. Steep fines and prison await any person possessing an eagle dead or alive, or possessing their feathers. The golden eagle once nested in western North Carolina; they no longer do.
Southern Blue Flag
The Southern Blue Flag, native to North Carolina, populates the southern United States from Virginia to Texas, as well as New York. This wildflower blooms a brilliant blue-purple with a yellow center The iris has six petals, which opens in late spring. The wildflower grows up to two feet tall and germinates in wet meadows and marshes, as well as near streams, lakes, and ponds.
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