BIODIVERSITY GARDENING
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    • American Beech
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    • Animals and Fungi (All)
    • Boogie-Woogie Aphid
    • Black Swallowtail Butterfly
    • Giant Swallowtail Butterfly
    • Gray Tree Frog
    • Lichens
    • Milk Snake
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    • Nina M. Zitani
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Animals and Fungi

Here you'll find documentation of some of the animals and fungi that we've found in our biodiversity garden (it's easier said than done - something to do with legs and wings!).


Amphibians


Gray Tree Frog, Hyla versicolor

Picture
Male gray tree frog late one summer evening


Red-backed Salamander, Plethodon cinereus

One November evening while walking in our biodiversity garden we came upon a red-backed salamander eating an earthworm.
Picture
Picture

Insects


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The honey bee is not a wild bee, on swamp rose mallow ("Hibiscus moscheutos")

The honey bee (Apis mellifera), or European honey bee is a common sight in our garden. We have many native bees, but sadly it appears to be the most common bee species (we haven't done an official insect inventory -- yet). Although it is an important crop pollinator and the producer of honey, it is not a wild bee. It is a domesticated insect, managed by humans. The honey bee is not native to North America, but to Europe, Asia and Africa. Our native insect pollinators include hundreds of species of bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, beetles and other insects. Native insect pollinators are in decline in North America due to habitat loss and other factors, and they need our help. A biodiversity garden provides critical habitat for our native pollinators, and a healthy ecosystem for humans as well.  


Picture
Ebony jewelwing damselfly, female
Picture
Probably hickory hairsteak "Satyrium caryaevorum" on butterfly milkweed in July
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Monarch butterfly pupa

Black Swallowtail Butterfly, Papilio polyxenes

Picture

Giant Swallowtail Butterfly, Papilio cresphontes

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Mature caterpillar of the giant swallowtail butterfly, "Papilio cresphontes"


​American Snout Butterfly, Libytheana carinenta

Picture
American snout butterfly (Family Nymphalidae) in August

Boogie-woogie Aphid, Grylloprociphilus imbricator

Picture

Northern Walkingstick, Diapheromera femorata

Picture

Carolina grasshopper, Dissosteira carolina

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Carolina grasshoppers mating, mid July

Reptiles


Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis

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Red-tailed hawk, "Buteo jamaicensis". Yes, birds are reptiles.


​Milk Snake, Lampropeltis triangulum

Picture
Gorgeous, harmless, young milk snakes

Fungi


Picture
"Mycena haematopus" feeding on dead hardwood. If you break the stem it "bleeds" deep red sap


​Lichens

Picture
A close-up of the fruiting bodies of the lichen "Physcia aipolia"
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  • home
  • learn
    • What is Biodiversity?
    • What is Biodiversity Gardening?
    • What is Native Biodiversity?
    • Why Does Native Biodiversity Matter?
    • Resources
  • documentary
    • Introduction
    • Our Favorite Native Plants (All)
    • American Beech
    • Bloodroot
    • Blue Flag Iris
    • Hoptree
    • Ninebark
    • Animals and Fungi (All)
    • Boogie-Woogie Aphid
    • Black Swallowtail Butterfly
    • Giant Swallowtail Butterfly
    • Gray Tree Frog
    • Lichens
    • Milk Snake
  • about
    • Nina M. Zitani
    • Contact Us
  • blog