Of all the various shorebirds in North America, the Least Sandpiper is the smallest. In fact, they are only a little larger than a sparrow. They are mostly brown above with mottling on their head, back and wings. Their bright white belly stands out against their coal-black eyes and bill.
Trout are coldwater fish. The rainbow trout prefers water temperatures ranging between 45-65 degrees Fahrenheit, and they need cold, clean water with good oxygen levels to thrive. Although they can endure warmer water temperatures into the mid-70s, they will always seek out cooler water if it is present.
There are quite a few different species of thrushes in the bird world, and one of the more interesting is the Swainson’s Thrush. Like most thrushes, these birds are fairly shy and secretive. They prefer to stay out of sight in the shelter of the forest’s dense undergrowth where few people see them.
There are lots of beautiful butterflies flying around in North America – big ones, small ones, colorful ones – but one of the smallest is the Summer Azure butterfly. This beautiful, tiny butterfly has a wingspan of only about an inch and a half, and it flies very quickly and erratically through the countryside.
There are many different species of sparrows in North America, and some of them can be difficult to identify. Most of them are relatively small and brown in color, and most people just call them “sparrows”.
The Periodical Cicada is a fairly large insect that emerges en masse – or in huge numbers – in the eastern half of the United States in certain years. The adult insects of many of these species have black upper bodies with orange legs and orange underparts.
Few birds are more common in North America than the House Sparrow. That’s somewhat unfortunate, since house sparrows are not a native species here. They are actually native to Europe, Asia and North Africa.
There are many species of frogs in the United States, and one of the smaller species is the very interesting Blanchard’s Cricket Frog. These tiny frogs are usually only an inch or so long, and full-grown adults measure no more than an inch and a half in length.
There are 85 species of sandpipers in the world, and although 43 species live in North America, the Solitary Sandpiper stands out among them. This slender shorebird is mostly brown above with a bright white belly. Its head and the upper parts of its breast are streaked with brown, and its back and wings have tiny white spots on them.
In the United States there is an obscure group of very small freshwater fish that most people have never heard of – and certainly never seen. These fish are called darters, and they are in the perch family. There are at least 225 species of darters in North America, and most of them sport dazzling colors during the spring spawning season.
The spring bird migration is underway, and warblers are heading north from their wintering grounds in the southern United States, Central America and South America. There are more than 100 warbler species in the world, and more than 50 of them can be found right here in North America.
If you have milkweed plants in your garden for the benefit of monarch butterflies, good job! Monarchs need milkweed as a host plant where they can lay their eggs. Monarch caterpillars feed exclusively on milkweed plants, including their close milkweed relatives.
