Canada Goldenrod

Plants > Herbaceous Perennials

Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) is an iconic, golden-plumed wildflower that transforms North American prairies and meadows into dazzling seas of radiant yellow in late summer and autumn. Revered by beekeepers as a critical late-season nectar lifeline for...

Northern Paper Wasp

Invertebrates > Bees & Wasps

The Northern Paper Wasp (Polistes fuscatus) is an extraordinary, highly social insect celebrated in behavioral science for possessing human-like facial recognition capabilities. Famous for constructing open, umbrella-shaped paper nests suspended beneath eaves and...

Red-spotted Purple

Invertebrates > Butterflies & Moths

The Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis) is an incomparably gorgeous forest butterfly celebrated as one of North America’s most brilliant examples of evolutionary Batesian mimicry. Gliding through sunlit woodland clearings with breathtaking iridescent...

Blanchard’s Cricket Frog

Amphibians > Tree Frogs

Blanchard’s Cricket Frog (Acris blanchardi) is a miniature, energetic semi-aquatic frog famous for its distinctive breeding call, which sounds exactly like two marbles or steel ball bearings being rapidly clicked together. Although classified taxonomically...

Red-bellied Snake

Reptiles > Colubrids

The Red-bellied Snake (Storeria occipitomaculata) is a tiny, secretive, and completely harmless woodland serpent native to eastern North America. Celebrated by naturalists and gardeners alike for its dramatic secret coloration—combining a drab grey or slate-brown...