According to John James Audubon, the main difference between the Black-billed cuckoo and the Yellow-billed cuckoo (see Plate 2) “is, that the former, instead of feeding principally on insects and fruits, procures fresh-water shellfish and aquatic larvæ for its sustenance. It is, therefore, more frequently seen on the ground, near the edges of the water, or descending along the drooping branches of trees to their extremities, to seize the insects in the water beneath them.” Yet Audubon places the bird in the branches of one of most spectacular trees in North America, as drawn by his assistant, Joseph Mason. If the southeastern United States was known for one tree, it would likely be the Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora).
The genus of the Southern magnolia is in honor of French botanist Pierre Magnol (1638-1715). More than 20 towns and communities in the United States are named Magnolia. The state of Mississippi calls itself the Magnolia State. The state flower for the state of Louisiana is the flower of the Southern magnolia. The oldest trees standing on the grounds of the White House in Washington, D.C., are two Southern magnolias. The trees were planted by Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) in memory of his wife, Rachel (1767-1828).