Wildlife of West Branch Nature Preserve: Toads, Snails and Spiders

West Branch Nature Preserve sits on the edge of Concord in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, in the Piedmont. The author's sightings here are of small, ground-level wildlife: an American Toad, a Carolina Wolf Spider, a Flamed Tigersnail, Red Imported Fire Ants, a Pale Beauty Moth at the forest edge, and a House Wren near the residential fringe. All six sightings came from a single visit in June, between about 3 and 4 in the afternoon. That makes this a short, early-summer snapshot rather than a full seasonal picture, but it shows how much can turn up in an hour of slow looking along woodland edges and the ground. This is a virtual guide written by someone who has been there, not a tour. You get the author's notes on each species and can message the author with questions about the visit. Wildlife is never guaranteed, and what you find will depend on weather, season and luck.