100 Species to Know By Sight - #12 Eastern Chipmunk

Species on #12 on my list of species that every kid (and adult) in Mid-Michigan should be able to identify by sight is the Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus).  The Eastern Chipmunk is one of eight species of squirrels that call Mid-Michigan home.  There is one other species of Chipmunk that can be found in Michigan, the Least Chipmunk (Tamias minimus), but its range in Michigan is limited to the Upper Peninsula.

Eastern Chipmunk peering from behind a log

The Eastern Chipmunk is a ground squirrel.  It digs extensive burrows and can be found in hardwood and coniferous forests, along forest edges, and in suburban areas.  Despite being a ground squirrel, the Eastern Chipmunk is an excellent climber and will climb trees.

A "tame" Eastern Chipmunk as a state park campground

Eastern Chipmunk identification is easy.  The Eastern Chipmunk is an overall reddish-brown color on its upper parts.  Its upper back is lined with five dark brown stripes alternating with light brown stripes that run from the shoulders to the lower back where they fade out.  The tail typically is covered with the same reddish-brown fur as the body with longer black-tipped guard hairs giving it grayish appearance.  This tail is often held upright as the chipmunk runs.

Eastern Chipmunk - the same campground chipmunk as in the above photo

Another feature of the Eastern Chipmunk that you might notice is its cheek pouches.  Food that is not consumed immediately is cached for later use.  Chipmunks stuff this food into expansive pouches in their cheeks in order to carry it back to their caches.  If a Chipmunk has filled pouches it looks as if its face is swollen.

Eastern Chipmunk - note the filled cheek pouches

Eastern Chipmunk - the same chipmunk showing the filled cheeks from the side

100 Species to Know by Sight - #11 Polyphemus Moth

I am going to start picking up the pace on my list of species that every kid (and adult) in Mid-Michigan should be able to identify by sight.  Species #11 on my list is the Polyphemus Moth (Antheraea polyphemus).  The Polyphemus is the second largest moth species in Michigan.  It is easy to identify both as a caterpillar and an adult.

Here it is as a caterpillar.  It is identifiable by its bright green color, rows of silver and red spots on each side, yellow stripes connecting the spots, and orange tubercles emerging from the upper surface of the thorax.  The bristly hairs should not be touched - they can cause a skin irritation.

Polyphemus caterpillar

Polyphemus caterpillar - note the orange tubercles, three rows of spots, and bristles

As an adult the moth may be up to 5 1/2 inches from wingtip to wingtip.  The adult is generally brown colored.  They are identified by the four large eye-spots - one on each wing.  These eye-spots are a defensive measure designed to fool predators into thinking a larger animal in staring back at them.

This first adult moth is a female.  Males and females can be distinguished by their antennae.  Females have skinny antennae; males have large feathery antennae.  

Female Polyphemus Moth - note the narrow antennae

This one is a male.

Male Polyphemus Moth - note the large feathery antennae

For more information about the Polyphemus Moth please see this post from June 2014.

100 Species to Know by Sight - #10 Common Milkweed

The next species on my list of species that every kid (and adult) in Mid-Michigan should know by sight is the Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca).  This common species is found throughout Michigan and across eastern North America in a variety of soil types.  It is recognized by its bright green oval-shaped leaves that are covered with downy hairs and its globe of pink five-petaled flowers.  In fall its seed pods split open revealing dark brown tear-drop shaped seeds tipped with a feathery tuft of white hairs.  These hairs act as a parachute, catching the wind to disperse the plant's seeds.

For more information about the Common Milkweed please see this species profile from June 2013.

Common Milkweed leaves and flowers

A closer view of the plant's unique flowers

A Common Milkweed with one fully opened globe of flowers and one yet open

The teardrop shaped seeds tipped with a tuft of feathery hairs

Frost covered seeds

Winter stalks and empty seedpods

A nearly empty seedpod with only a few remaining seeds

To see the previous species on my list of Species to Know by Sight look here.

100 Species to Know by Sight - #9 Mallard Duck

It's time to add to my list of species that every kid (and adult) in Mid-Michigan should be able to identify.  The list so far includes:

     #1  Wood Frog
     #2  White-tailed Deer
     #3  Large-flowered Trillium
     #4  Black-eyed Susan
     #5  Skunk Cabbage
     #6  Monarch Butterfly
     #7  Viceroy Butterfly
     #8  Fox Squirrel

Species #9 is the first bird on the the list - the Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos).  In Mid-Michign when most people think of a duck this is the species that come to their mind.  The Mallard drake (male) is one of the most easily recognized birds in North America.  It is characterized by a shining green head, bright yellow bill, chocolate brown breast, grey body, black rump and white tail.

Compared to the male, the hen (female) is rather plain looking - she has speckled brown feathers covering her entire body, a dull orange and brown bill, and a patch of dark blue on her wings.

Drake and hen Mallard - the drake shows his distinctive green head and yellow bill

Mallard Hen

Mallard hen - note her mottled brown and tan color and dull orange-brown bill

Mallard hen - note the dark blue patch on her wings

Mallard drake - showing all of his distinguishing marks

For more information on the Mallard check out this species profile on allaboutbirds.org.

100 Species to Know by Sight - #8 Fox Squirrel

Fox Squirrel (Sciurrus niger) eating fruit from an ornamental crab apple tree

Species #8 on my list of 100 Species to Know by Sight is an easy one.  There are eight species of squirrels that can be found in Mid-Michigan.  Only three of them are true "tree" squirrels.  The Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) is the largest of those three species.  While it can have many color phases, Fox Squirrels in Mid-Michigan are reddish-brown to orange in color.  They share this color with the Red Fox, resulting in the name Fox Squirrel. 

For more information on this species please visit this species profile that I wrote in February 2013.

A resting Fox Squirrel - photo by Shara LeValley

100 Species to Know by Sight - #6 Monarch Butterfly and #7 Viceroy Butterfly

There are some species of plants and animals that every student (and adult) should be able to identify by sight.  Some species are specific to a certain region, other species are found over a very broad territory.  The sixth species on my list of 100 Species to Know by Sight is the Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus).  The Monarch can be found across most of the United States and Southern Canada and is one of the most recognized (and loved species) found across its range.

The Monarch is a very distinctive, large (3.5 to 4 inch wingspan), orange-and-black butterfly. 

Monarch Butterfly on New England Aster

Monarch Butterfly - this butterfly was probing the surface of a county road with its proboscis to obtain salts and other minerals

Monarch Butterfly on a Common Milkweed flower.  This species is its larval host plant.

 
Male and female butterflies are easy easy to distinguish.  Males can be identified by the presence of a scent gland on each of their hind wings.

Monarch Butterfly - the arrows point to the pair of scent glands on its hindwings

Monarch Butterfly - the scent glands are also visible from the underside of the wing

In Mid-Michigan (really across most of its range) there is only one butterfly species you could possibly confuse with the Monarch - the Viceroy (Limenitis archippus).  The color pattern of the Viceroy is almost exactly the same as that of the Monarch.  The two species share a type of mimicry known as Mullerian mimicry in which two (or more) distasteful, poisonous, or otherwise harmful species have evolved to look like each other.  Because the Viceroy and Monarch share this relationship, the Viceroy is my seventh species on my 100 Species to Know by Sight. 

The Viceroy is typically smaller than the Monarch with a 3 to 3 inch wingspan, but there can be a size overlap in the two species.  To identify a Viceroy look for a semi-circular line that extends across its back pair of wings.  To me, this line looks like a smile.  The Monarch lacks this line.

Viceroy Butterfly- the arrow points to the line that distinguishes this species from the Monarch

Viceroy - this identifying mark is visible on both the upper and lower surfaces of the wing

100 Species to Know by Sight - #5 Skunk Cabbage

The fifth flower on my list of 100 species that every kid (and adult) in mid-Michigan should be able to identify by sight is the Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus).  My wife thinks it's funny, but this is my favorite wildflower.  Skunk Cabbage is the first flower to bloom every year - its flowers produce so much heat through their metabolic processes that it is capable of melting snow.  Finding the first Skunk Cabbage flower of the year is a more reliable sign of spring than the appearance of the year's first Robin.

Skunk Cabbage flowers are capable of melting snow

The flowers of Skunk Cabbage emerge directly from the ground before the plant's leaves appear.  Their mottled purple and green color and a putrid smell attract carrion flies.  These two factors as well as the flower's location directly on the ground also attract beetles.  I have also seen honey bees pollinating these flowers.

Skunk Cabbage flowers attract flies and beetles with their unpleasant odor

Skunk Cabbage leaves emerge from the ground several weeks after the plant begins flowering.  The leaves grow rabidly and eventually may be up to 3 feet long.  When crushed, the large cabbage-like leaves have a distinctive "skunk" smell giving this species its common name.

Skunk Cabbage leaves - the flowers can be seen at the base of each plant

Skunk Cabbage leaves can grow up to 3 feet long

To find Skunk Cabbage look in swamps, floodplains, and other wet habitats.  This species is found throughout the northeastern part of the United States and Canada.  Mid-Michigan is near the geographic center of its range.

Skunk Cabbage leaves carpet a swamp

In the Fall, after the plant's leaves have died down, look for its large fruit.  The fruit have a fleshy white interior surrounding several large dark seeds.  The fruit is reportedly eaten by bears and possibly raccoons.

Skunk Cabbage fruit

To see the previous species on my list of 100 Species to Know by Sight - please click here.

100 Species to Know by Sight - #4 Black-eyed Susan

The next species on my list of 100 species that every kid (and adult) in Mid-Michigan should be able to identify by sight is the Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta).  This plant is both common as a wildflower and in gardens.  It can be found across most of the Lower 48 and the southern tier of Canadian provinces.  Because this species is a popular garden plant it can be difficult to determine which populations are native and which have escaped from cultivation. 

Black-eyed Susan flowers

   
Black-eyed Susan can be identified by it dark brown-black, cone-shaped central disc surrounded by 8-20 bright yellow rays (petals).  The flower can be up to 3 inches across.  The plant blooms from mid-Summer into fall.

Black-eyed Susan - note the dark central disc surrounded by bright yellow rays

Black-eyed Susan plants grow up to 2.5 feet tall.  The plants have alternate leaves that can be up to 7 inches long.  The leaves are concentrated on the lower part of the plant's stem.  both the leaves and stems are covered with a dense covering of hair.

Black-eyed Susan - not the alternate leaves and hairy, leafless upper stem

Black-eyed Susan grows in a variety of upland habitats, in both sun and partial shade.  It is a short-lived plant that does well in disturbed habitats.  It is often used in prairie restorations, where it does well for several years before being crowded out by its competitors.

Black-eyed Susan in a prairie restoration

For the previous species in this series of 11 Species to Know by Sight look here.

100 Species to Know by Sight - #3 Large-flowered Trillium

The next entry on my list of 100 species that every kid (and adult) in Mid-Michigan should be able to identify by sight is the Large-flowered Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum).  Trilliums in gerneral are easy to identify - they have flowers with three petals and three sepals (the green parts at the base of the flower) and each plant has three petals. 



Large-flowered Trillium - note the parts in threes (petals, sepals, and leaves)

The Large-flowered Trillium has the largest flowers of the ten Trillium species found in Michigan.  The petals are white but fade to pink as they age.  Individual flowers may be up to 5 1/2 inches across.  This species is also known as Common Trillium and can be found in every single county of Michigan.

Large-flowered Trillium is capable of forming dense colonies.  However, it rarely does because it is a favorite food of White-tailed Deer.

A colony of Large-flowered Trillium

Rarely, this plant will have partly or wholly green flowers - this occurs when the plant has been infected with a mycoplasma (a type of bacteria that lacks a cell wall)

Large-flowered Trillium with a mycoplasma infection

For information on the Large-flowered Trillium, please check out this species profile from April 2013.

To see the previous species on my list of 100 Species to Know by Sight look here.

100 Species to Know by Sight - #2 White-tailed Deer

The second species in my list of 100 species every kid (and adult) in Mid-Michigan should be able to identify by sight is the White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus).



A White-tailed doe with her reddish-brown summer fur

If you live east of the Mississippi River there is really no mistaking this species for any other animal - it is the only deer species found over much of its range.  Michigan does have Elk and Moose, but they really can't be confused for White-tailed Deer. 

Adult White-tailed Deer will stand 3 to 4 feet tall at the shoulder and be up to 7 feet long.  They are covered with either reddish-brown (summer) or grayish-brown (winter) fur.  Their winter coat is longer and coarser than their Summer coat.  For the first few months of their lives, fawns' coats will be speckled with white spots; as they grow their winter coat this spotting disappears. 



A pair of fawns - note the spotted coat

Male White-tailed Deer (bucks) typically have a pair of hard antlers growing from their brows.  Antlers are not horns.  Horns are a permanent growth with a hard bone core and an outer sheath made of keratin.  Antlers are also made of bone, but without an outer keratin sheath.  White-tailed Deer bucks shed their antlers every fall and regrow a new pair each summer.  Initially, the antler is soft and covered with velvet.  Over the coarse of the summer the antler hardens until it can be used as a weapon in contests of dominance with other bucks.  Rarely, a White-tailed doe (female) will grow antlers.

A young White-tailed buck with antlers in velvet

Skull of a seven-point buck

White-tailed Deer are very adaptable.  They like fragmented habitats with lots of edges - they adapt really well to habitats changed by human activity.  There are (probably) more White-tailed Deer in North America today than before Europeans arrived here.  Look for White-tailed Deer in almost any habitat type: farm fields, woodlands, wetlands, grasslands, parks, orchards, etc..

100 Species to Know by Sight - #1 Wood Frog

Last year I was giving a program in a 5th grade classroom and I asked the students to name some local species of plants and animals so we could create a food chain.  If they said tree, I asked what kind of tree?.  If they said "oak", I asked which one?

If I asked you to name local species how many could you name? 10? 25? 100? 200?

Over the course of this school year, I want to share 100 species that I think kids (and adults) in Mid-Michigan should be able to identify by sight.

The first species is the Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica).  This species is commonly found in woodlands - often far away from water.  Wood Frogs can be identified by their black "mask".  They are the only species of Michigan frog with this feature.  Their call sounds like a "quack" - ponds filled with breeding Wood Frogs sound like they are filled with dozens of invisible ducks.

A Wood Frog in its typical habitat

Wood Frogs can vary in color, but all have the black "mask" under their eyes

Wood Frog bodies are covered with patterns that look like the edges of leaves

This Wood Frog shows very dark markings.