Lincoln’s Sparrow

Birds > Songbirds

Lincoln’s Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii) is an exquisite, secretive songbird celebrated for its rich, musical, wren-like gurgling song and finely etched plumage. Named by John James Audubon after his companion Thomas Lincoln during an 1833 expedition to Labrador,...

Northern Short-tailed Shrew

Mammals > Insectivores

The Northern Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina brevicauda) is one of North America’s most remarkable small predators, holding distinction as one of the extremely few venomous mammals on Earth. Possessing a ferocious metabolism that requires it to consume up to three...

Cotton Deermouse

Mammals > Rodents

The Cotton Deermouse (Peromyscus gossypinus) is a widespread, robust native rodent endemic to the lush swamps and bottomland forests of the American Southeast. Named for its historical habit of nesting in raw cotton fiber bales in southern fields, this agile,...

Orange Jelly Spot

Fungi > Jelly Fungi

The Orange Jelly Spot (Dacrymyces chrysospermus), historically known as Orange Jelly or the Golden Jelly Fungus, is a vibrant, gelatinous basidiomycete that adorns rotting conifer logs with brilliant glowing nuggets of translucent orange jelly. Renowned for its...

Scarlet Beebalm

Plants > Herbaceous Perennials

Scarlet Beebalm (Monarda didyma), famously celebrated in American history as Oswego Tea, is an electrifying, crimson-flowered perennial wildflower native to the shaded stream valleys of the Appalachian Mountains. With its fiery scarlet crown of fireworks-like tubular...