Species

Want to learn more about what species we could find at a BioBlitz?

Read below for some interesting facts about these species.

If seeing is believing, come join as at the event on June 5th!

Common Earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris)

Terrestrial Invertebrates

Lumbricus terrestris is an anecic worm, that is, it forms permanent deep burrows and comes to the surface to feed, as opposed to burrowing through the soil for its food as most other earthworms do. An unusual habit of this species is to pull leaves into the mouth of its burrow where they partially decay before being eaten. While they generally feed on plant material, they have been observed feeding on dead insects and feces. They are said to have a lifetime around 4-8 years.

Pickerel Frog

Amphibians

The distinctive rectangular spots of the pickerel frog may blend together to form a long rectangle along the back. All other leopard frogs have circular spots. In addition, they have prominent dorsolateral ridges that are unbroken. An important distinguishing mark is the orange or yellow flash pattern found on the inner surface of the hind legs. The skin secretions of a stressed pickerel frog are known to be toxic to other frogs, as many a novice frog catcher has found when he finds only the pickerel frogs still alive in his bucket. These secretions can also be moderately irritating if they come in contact with the eyes, mucous membranes, or broken skin.

Ostracod (seed shrimp)

Aquatic Invertebrates

Ostracods are small crustaceans, typically around one mm in size, but varying between 0.2 to 30 mm, laterally compressed and protected by a bivalve-like, chitinous or calcareous valve or "shell". The hinge of the two valves is in the upper, dorsal region of the body. Ecologically, marine ostracods can be part of the zooplankton or (most commonly) they are part of the benthos, living on or inside the upper layer of the sea floor. Many ostracods, especially the Podocopida, are also found in fresh water and some are known from humid continental forest soils. Ostracods have a long and well-documented fossil record from the Cambrian to the present day. The body of an ostracod is encased by two valves, which together form the duplicature. A distinction is made between the valve (hard parts) and the body with its appendages (soft parts).

Hairy Woodpecker

Birds

Adults are mainly black on the upper parts and wings, with a white back, throat and belly and white spotting on the wings. There is a white bar above and below the eye. They have a black tail with white outer feathers. Adult males have a red patch on the back of the head. These birds are mostly permanent residents. Birds in the extreme north may migrate further south; birds in mountainous areas may move to lower elevations.These birds forage on trees, often turning over bark or excavating to uncover insects. They mainly eat insects, also fruits, berries and nuts, sometimes tree sap. Their breeding habitat is forested areas with large trees across most of North America to Central America. They nest in a tree cavity, excavated by the nesting pair.

Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus)

Fish

A fish belongings to the Ictaluridae family that is widely distributed in North America. The brown bullhead thrives in a variety of habitats, including lakes and ponds with low oxygen and/or muddy conditions. In many areas of the U.S., Brown Bullheads are opportunistic bottom feeders. They eat insects, leeches, snails, fish, clams, and many plants. They are also known to eat corn, which can be used as bait. Similar to other catfish, they spawn only after the temperature of the water has reached 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 °C) (cooler in the northern US) in June and July.

Stereum Sp.

Fungi

Is a species of mushrooms which form what looks like stacks of paper-thin discs on rotting logs, with each mushroom bearing a superficial resemblance to a colorful, banded turkey tail. It’s hard to identify them exactly without examining what’s under the mushroom, the place where the spores are produced. Stereum species look quite smooth on the undersurface. Some of these fungi cause what’s known as spalting in wood, a prized natural “defect” characterized by wild fungal pigments swirling across the wood grain. Wood crafters worship spalted lumber. These fungi are edible.

Solidago Rugosa

Higher Plants

This species can be found in wet ground of swales, swampy meadows and thickets, borders of spring branches, borders of streams, wet prairies, occasional on dry sandy knolls and ledges. Their stems are1.5m tall, erect, herbaceous, from slightly thickened roots and horizontal rhizomes, terete, densely pubescent (at least in the middle and upper portions), retrorse pubescent near the base, simple except in the inflorescence.They flower between August and October.

Carpenter Ants

Insects

These are large (¼ in–1 in) ants indigenous to many parts of the world. They prefer dead, damp wood in which to build nests. Sometimes carpenter ants will hollow out sections of trees. They reside both outdoors and indoors in moist, decaying or hollow wood. They cut "galleries" into the wood grain to provide passageways for movement from section to section of the nest. They can leave "sawdust" behind that provides clues to nesting location.

Porella Platyphylla

Lower Plants

Tthe only genus of the family Porellaceae, consists of about 180 species, which live preferably in the tropics on rocks or bark. In most cases the plants are pinnate and dark or black green. They are bisexual. Many species have a pepperlike flavour in fresh state.

Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus)

Mammal

A species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet and the marks its tail leaves. The animal's feet prevent it from sinking into the snow when it hops and walks. For camouflage, its fur turns white during the winter and rusty brown during the summer. Its flank are white year-round. The Snowshoe Hare is also distinguishable by the black tufts of fur on the edge of its ears. Its ears are shorter than those of most other hares. In summer, it feeds on rodents such as mice and plants such as, grass, ferns and leaves; in winter, it eats twigs, the bark from trees, and buds from flowers and plants and, along with the Arctic Hare, has been known to steal meat from baited traps. It is sometimes seen feeding in small groups. This animal is mainly active at night and does not hibernate. The Snowshoe Hare may have up to four litters in a year which average 3 to 8 young. Males compete for females and females may breed with several males.

Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)

Reptile

Is a reptile that is common in southern Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico and is related to other water turtles such as sliders and cooters. This turtle lives in ponds, lakes, marshes, and in slow-moving rivers that have soft, muddy bottoms. The maximum carapace size, or shell length, for painted turtles is 10 inches (250 mm), or 25 cm. Its shell is used to protect it from its predators. The skin of an adult Painted Turtle's head, neck, feet and tail, and the carapace-edge (marginal) scutes have a beautiful red and yellow striped design that conveys the idea of having been hand-painted. The plastron, depending on the subspecies, can be entirely yellowish or yellowish-orange, mostly yellowish with a dark pattern in the center, or may have a bold, elaborate pattern of yellow, orange, red and dark gray. The background skin tone of the painted turtle varies from olive green to solid black. The Painted turtle is the only species in the genus Chrysemys.