Friday, April 25, 2008

Wildflowers and Grasses of Prairie Park

This list includes flowers and grasses photographed by students in their study in Prairie Park. Flowers are ordered by their color and their blooming date.

Grasses
Little Bluestem
Big Bluestem

Yellow Indiangrass
Switchgrass

Sideoats Grama
Blue Grama
Western Wheatgrass

White Flowers
Shepard's purse

White clover

Dewberry
Gooseberry
Wild Garlic Mustard
Yucca
Milkweed
Pokeweed
Western Yarrow
Boneset
Dotted Smartweed
White aster
Common Ragweed

Pink, Red or Brown
Henbit
Redbud tree
Musk Thistle
Tall Thistle
Red Clover
Sedem
Coneflower

Blue, Lavender, Violet or Purple
Blue Speedwell

Johnny-jump-up

Common violet


Wild violet

Pitcher Sage

Dayflower

Prairie Aster

Yellow or Orange
Common Dandelion

Yellowrocket

Daffodil

Common Mullein

Partridge Pea

Plains Coreopsis

Maximillian Sunflower

Common Sunflower

Missouri Goldenrod






Checklist of Trees and Shrubs in Prairie Park

This list includes native trees in addition to those planted in the park for windbreaks and ornamentals.

Red Cedar
Willow
Cottonwood
River Birch
Red Oak
Pin Oak
American Elm
Red Mulberry
Osage Orange
Sycamore
Honey Locust
Flowering Crab
Flowering Cherry
Bradford Pear
Dogwood
Autumn Ash
Marshall's Ash
Birch
Russian Olive
Hawthorn
Hazelnut
Shademaster Locust
Sunburst Locust
Norway Maple
Sugar Maple
Red Maple
Redbud
Austrian Pine
Peking Cotoneaster
Autumn Olive
Sumac
Wild Gooseberry
Blackberry
Dewberry
Green Briar
Moonseed
Bittersweet
Multiflora Rose
Poison Ivy

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Checklist of Arachnids of Prairie Park

This is a list of photographed Arachnids of Prairie Park. All photographs are taken by students unless otherwise noted.

Grass spider

On trail in OWLS wooded area

Orb Spider

On Austrian Pine in OWLS windbreak
Golden Garden Spider
On Coreopsis in OWLS prairie area

Wolf Spider
Photo by teacher
Nursery Web Spider
Near OWLS pond, it might be a fishing spider.

Crab Spider


Daddylonglegs or Harvestman


Jumping spider

Checklist of Insects of Prairie Park

This list includes only insects that have been documented by photographs in the park. All photographs are by students unless otherwise noted.

Click on photos to enlarge.

Order of Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata)
Whitetail Dragonfly


Order of Crickets, Grasshoppers and Katydids (Orthoptera)
Admirable Grasshopper





Redlegged Grasshopper


Field Cricket



Order of Termites (Isoptera)
Eastern Subterranean Termite



Order of True Bugs (Hemiptera)
Large Milkweed Bug



Order of Beetles (Coleoptera)
Click on picture to enlarge.
Whiligig Beetles

Goldenrod Soldier Beetle




Lady Beetle






Order of Ants, Bees and Wasps (Hymenoptera)
Ants



Ant hill



Ants with larvae


Honeybee

Order of Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera)
Click on picture to enlarge.

Painted Lady

Redspotted Purple


Eastern-tailed Blue


Cloudless sulphur

Monarch


Pearl Crescent
Red Admiral

Order of True Flies (Diptera)
House Fly

Checklist of Reptiles and Amphibians of Prairie Park

This list only includes animals actually sighted and photographed in the park. All photographs were taken by students in McLouth Prairie Park OWLS unless otherwise noted.

Bullfrog Rana catesbeiana

From OWLS pond Fall 2007

Plains Leopard Frog Rana blairi

This photo was taken near Bellville by teacher


Gray Treefrog Hyla versicolor

Taken along nature trail in OWLS

Western Chorus Frog Pseudarcris triseriata

Taken on prairie trail in OWLS

Common Snapping Turtle Chelydra sepentina septentina

Baby snapping turtle photo taken near OWLS pond

Western Painted Turtle Chrysemys picta bellii



In OWLS pond



Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene Carolina

Black Rat Snake Elaphe obsolete obsolete

Northern Water Snake Neridia sipedon sipedon

In OWLS pond. Students watched this snake for a long time.

Prairie Kingsnake Lampropeltis calligaster

Found near covered bench by the pond.

Eastern Plains Garter Snake Thamnophis radix radix



OK, this snake was dead, killed in the drive at Prairie Park.