Greater Sage-Grouse

Birds > Galliformes

The Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is the majestic, iconic monarch of the North American ‘Sagebrush Sea’ and the largest grouse species on the continent. Renowned worldwide for one of the most theatrical, flamboyant courtship rituals in...

Smooth Softshell Turtle

Reptiles > Turtles and Tortoises

The Smooth Softshell Turtle (Apalone mutica) is the sleek, pancake-flat speedster of North America’s great river systems. Inhabiting the fast-flowing waters of the Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri river basins, this river specialist looks more like a...

Rufous Hummingbird

Birds > Apodiformes

The Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) is the fiery, fearless gladiator of the avian world and a breathtaking marvel of long-distance animal migration. Weighing barely as much as a copper penny, this tiny avian dynamo undertakes an astounding 4,000-mile annual...

Kentucky Coffeetree

Plants > Fabaceae

The Kentucky Coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus) is a majestic, ancient legume tree that produces the largest leaves of any native tree in North America, with colossal twice-compound leaves spanning up to three feet long. An evolutionary anachronism whose rock-hard,...

Eastern Hercules Beetle

Invertebrates > Insects

The Eastern Hercules Beetle (Dynastes tityus) is one of the largest, heaviest, and most formidable insects native to North America. Belonging to the rhinoceros beetle subfamily Dynastinae, this magnificent scarabaeid is celebrated for the colossal pincer-like horns...