Birds
Fish
Herps
Insects
Mammals
Plants
Acorn
The acorn is the nut of the oak tree.
Acorns are nuts containing a single seed housed in a tough, leathery shell. They take six to 24 months (depending on the species) to mature. Acorns are one of the most important wildlife foods. Creatures that consume acorns come in many different shapes and sizes, and include woodpeckers, jays, mice squirrels, chipmunks, pigs, bears, and deer, to name a few. Acorns also play a big part as a dietary staple for Native American and Korean cultures. They are rich in nutrients like proteins and potassium.
Apple
The apple is the fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family. It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits.
The apple tree originated in Asia. Apples were brought to North America with colonists in the 1600's and the first orchard was said to be near Boston in 1625. There are over 7,500 different types of apples that people cultivate. At least 55 million tons of apples were grown worldwide in 2005, with a value close to $10 billion. Apples can be canned, juiced and fermented into apple cider, juice, vinegar and pectin.
Aster
Aster is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It is native to North America.
Aster is an ornamental plant that features impressive blooms that range in color from pink, lavender, white or dark purple. They usually bloom in late spring or early summer. It is herbaceous and attractive to bees, butterflies and nectar feeding birds. Asters do well in cooler climates. The name aster comes from the ancient greek word astron, meaning “star” in reference to the shape of the flower's head.
Black-eyed Susan
Black-eyed Susans () are flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. They are sometimes called Blackiehead, Brown Betty, Brown Daisy, Golden Jerusalem or Gloriosa Daisy.
Black-eyed Susans are upright annuals or perennials native to most of North America. They thrive in most soil types under full sun. They are hardy plants and can withstand dry conditions. Black-eyed Susans are characterized by a brown, domed center surrounded by bright yellow ray florets. Their stems are upright and covered in coarse hairs. Birds love the nutritious seeds of the black-eyed susan.
Blackberry
Blackberries are perennial plants in the genus Rubus. They are also called bramble or bramble raspberry.
Blackberry flowers are excellent nectar producers and are a favorite among bees, butterflies and nectar-feeding birds. Blackberries are an important wild food source for many animals. There is a superstition in the United Kingdom that blackberries should not be picked after Michaelmas (September 29) because the devil has claimed them, having left a mark on the leaves by urinating on them.
Cherry
A cherry () is a fleshy fruit that contains a single stony seed. They belong to the family Rosacea, along with almonds, peaches, plums, and apricots.
Cherries have a very long growing season and grow almost everywhere, including the cold tundra. In many parts of North America they are one of the first tree fruits to ripen. This characteristic brings rise to the colloquial term “cherry” to mean “new” or “the first”, e.g. “in cherry condition”. Cherries contain anthocyanins (red berry pigment) that have been shown to reduce pain and inflammation. The annual world production of domesticated cherries is about three million tons.
Chinese Hibiscus
Chinese hibiscus () is an evergreen flowering plant native to East Asia. It is widely grown as an ornamental plant.
Chinese hibiscus come in a variety of cultivars and hybrids, with flower colors ranging from white through yellow, orange to scarlet, and all shades of pink. They are an introduced plant species to North America and are used widely in gardens and parks. Chinese hibiscus is one of the many plant species that show polyploidy, in which the number of chromosomes is far greater than the two (“x” or “y”) we commonly think of with human genetics.
Clintonia
Clintonia () is a flower in the Liliacea family. It is a native plant.
Clintonia is known as the Yellow Corn-lily, Cow's Tongue or Blue-bead for its bright blue berries. They are found in moist woodland habitats and can withstand acidic soils. It flowers from May to July. Clintonia was named after DeWitt Clinton (1769-1828), early naturalist and New York governor. The berries from the Clintonia plant are toxic and should be avoided.
Concord Grapes
Concord grapes () are a cultivar derived from the fox grape species. It is frequently used for table grapes, wine grapes and juice grapes.
Concord grapes feature a dark blue or purple skin often covered with a lighter colored “bloom” which can be rubbed off. It is a slip-skin variety, meaning that the skin is easily separated from the fruit. Concord grapes have large seeds and are highly aromatic. They were developed in 1849 by Ephraim Wales Bull in Concord, MA. In the United States, more than 400,000 tons of concord grapes are harvested in the northern regions and Pacific Northwest.
Deadly Nightshade
Deadly Nightshade or Belladonna () is a perennial herbaceous plant native to Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia. It has been naturalized in parts of North America.
Deadly Nightshade has leaves and berries that are extremely toxic and hallucinogenic. The roots are said to be the most toxic part, but that can vary from one plant to another. Ingestion of a leaf of Deadly Nightshade can be fatal to an adult. Many animals, such as rabbits, birds and deer, seem to eat the plant without suffering harmful effects. It can be found in shady, moist areas with limestone-rich soil.
Flowering Dogwood
The flowering dogwood () is a species of dogwood native to eastern North America. It ranges from southern Maine west to eastern Kansas and south to northern Florida.
The flowering dogwood is an important food source for dozens of species of birds, which act as seed dispersal agents. They thrive in moist, acidic soil with some shade. The hard, dense wood of the flowering dogwood has been used for products such as golf club heads, mallets, tool handles, jewler's boxes and butcher's blocks. The actual flowers have been used for the production of inks, scarlet dyes and a quinine substitute.
Fly Agaric
Fly agaric () is a poisonous and psychoactive fungus. It is native throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Fly agaric is known as the quintessential toadstool. It is frequently referenced and might be most recognizable as the mushroom in Super Mario Brothers. The common name is thought to be derived from its European use as an insecticide, sprinkled in milk. An alternate theory proposes that the “fly” in its name comes from the medieval belief that flies could enter a person's head and cause mental illness, perhaps in reference to the fly agaric's psychoactive effects.
Garden Strawberry
The garden strawberry () is the most common variety of strawberry cultivated worldwide. The garden strawberry was first bred in Europe in the early 18th century.
The garden strawberry is somewhat self fertile, but solid bee activity has been shown to improve pollination, which results in larger and better shaped berries. Commercial growers sometimes place beehives within range of their fields to encourage bee pollination. Strawberries can be consumed fresh, frozen or made into preserves. They are a popular addition to dairy products, strawberry ice cream, milkshakes, smoothies and yogurts.
Hickory Nut
The hickory nut is the product of a Hickory tree. The shellbark hickory () is the native hickory tree of New York.
The shellbark hickory is a slow-growing, long-lived tree, hard to transplant and subject to insect damage. The nuts, largest of all hickory nuts, are sweet and edible. The wood is hard, heavy, strong and very flexible, making it a favored wood for tool handles. Shellbark hickory trees grow best in fertile, deep and moist soils. Hickory nuts are used for food by ducks, quail, wild turkeys, chipmunks, squirrels, deer, foxes, raccoons and white-toed mice.
Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Jack-in-the-Pulpit is a herbaceous perennial plant often confused with poison ivy. It is native to eastern North America.
Jack-in-the-Pulpit is known by many names: Bog Onion, Brown Dragon, Indian Turnip, and Wake Robin, to name a few. They contain oxalic acid and asparagine which makes them poisonous if eaten. It can cause irritation of the mouth and digestive system, and occasionally swelling of the mouth and throat severe enough to affect breathing. Native Americans discovered that if the plant is properly dried or cooked, it can be eaten as a root vegetable.
Jewelweed
Jewelweed () is a flowering plant in the family Balsaminaceae. They are native to eastern North America.
Jewelweed is notable for having seed pods that burst when touched, spreading seeds over several square meters. This characteristic is common to all Impatiens and gives it its common name Touch-me-not. This species thrives in moist, rich soils in valleys and stream-bottoms. When water collects on the leaves of the Jewelweed, it tends to clump together because of the smooth texture of the leaves. White light refracts through the droplets, like a prism, giving it the appearance of a jewel.
Lily of the Valley
Lily of the Valley () is the only species in the genus Convallaria in the flowering plant family Rusaceae. This woodland plant is native to the eastern United States.
All parts of the Lily of the Valley are highly poisonous, containing cardiac glycosides and saponins. If this plant is touched of handled, hands should be washed before doing anything else. Lily of the valley produces a small orange-red berry that contains a few seeds. According to Christian mythology, Lilies of the valley sprang from the blood of St. George during his battle with the dragon.
Mayapple
Mayapples are herbaceous perennial plants in the family Berberidaceae. They are native to the eastern part of North America.
Mayapples () produce two growth forms. There is the type that produces a single umbrella-like leaf and no fruit and the type that produces a twin leaf structure with a single white flower that matures into fruit. All parts of the plant, except the fruit, are poisonous. The fruit is edible, in moderate amounts, only when it ripens in late summer. The mayapple is also called the Indian apple, wild lemon, wild mandrake, hogapple and devil's apple.
Milkweed
Milkweed (Asclepias L.) is a genus of herbaceous, perennial plant that contains over 140 known species. It is a native plant.
Milkweed is the sole food source of Monarch butterfly larva. The larva ingest the toxins and become toxic themselves, which is a great defense against predators. Milkweed sap is used externally as a natural remedy for Poison Ivy. It is also used as a folk remedy for removing warts. During WWII, over 11 million pounds of milkweed floss or filaments were collected in the United States as a substitute for kapok (an insulating plant fiber).
Mulberry
Mulberries are the fruit of the Mulberry tree (), a genus of 10-16 species of deciduous trees. They are native to warm, temperate, and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa and the Americas.
Mulberries begin as white or green to pale yellow with pink edges. They are red when they are ripening. A fully ripened mulberry is dark purple to black, edible and sweet. The fruit is widely used in pies, tarts and cordials. Mulberry leaves are ecologically important as the sole food source of the silkworm. They are often used as natural food colorants.
Panther Cap
The panther cap () is a toxic mushroom found in woodlands throughout Europe, western Asia and North America. It is poisonous and to some degree psychoactive.
The Panther Cap is found in both deciduous, especially beech, and coniferous woodlands in the late summer and autumn. It is an ectomycorrhizal fungus, living in root symbiosis with a tree, deriving photosynthesized nutrients and, in turn, providing soil nutrients. The panther cap contains muscarine and is generally regarded as more poisonous than the related fly agaric. It is extremely dangerous for pets: if ingested, these mushrooms can cause brain death within one hour.
Persimmon
Persimmons are the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus Diospyros. The range of the American persimmon () stretches from New England to Florida.
Persimmons are a round or oval fruit with a orange to black coloring. The tree grows wild but has been cultivated for its fruit and wood since prehistoric times. The fossils of American persimmons have been found in the miocene rocks of Alaska and in the cretaceous formation of Nebraska. It prefers a light, sandy and well-drained soil. The persimmon was brought to England before 1629 and is cultivated.
Poison Ivy
Poison ivy () is a plant in the family Anacardiaceae. It is actually a woody vine and not a true ivy.
Poison ivy is famous for its ability to produce urushiol, a skin irritant that causes an itching rash for most people. It grows throughout much of North America, including most Canadian provinces, except for Alaska, Hawaii and California. Poison ivy can normally be found in wooded areas, especially along edge areas. The leaves always come in three almond-shaped leaflets. The berries are grayish-white. A common saying for recognizing Poison Ivy is: “Leaves of three, let it be.”
Pumpkin
Pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus Cucurbita. The origins of the pumpkin are unknown.
The word pumpkin originates from the word “pepon”, Greek for “large melon.” The pumpkin can vary greatly in shape, from oblate through oblong. The rind is smooth and usually lightly ribbed. Pumpkins are grown all around the world for agricultural purposes to commercial and ornamental sales. Out of the seven continents only Antarctica is unable to produce pumpkins. Pumpkins are commonly carved into jack-o'-lanterns during Halloween.
Sunflower
The sunflower () is an annual plant of the family Asteracae. It is native to the Americas.
Sunflowers can grow as high as three meters tall, with the flower head reaching up to 30 centimeters in diameter. What is usually called the flower is actually a head of numerous flowers (florets) crowded together. The outer flowers are the pubic florets and can be yellow, maroon or orange. The flowers within the circular head are disc florets. The disc florets mature into sunflower seeds. They are arranged spirally. Typically, there are 34 spirals in one direction and 55 in the other.
White Baneberry
White Baneberry or Doll's-eyes () is a flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae. It is native to eastern North America.
The white baneberry contains cardiogenic toxins and is highly poisonous. Ingestion of the berries can lead to cardiac arrest and death. The berries are harmless to birds, which act as the white baneberry's main seed dispersers. The white baneberry prefers clay to coarse loamy soils and are found in hardwood and mixed-forest habitats.
