Wildlife and Wildflowers

Web Sites

• Butterflies and Moths of North America
  This is a GREAT resource for all butterfly lovers. You can click on your state and get information on butterflies by family. Each record contains photographs, which county it occurs in, reference, life history, caterpillar hosts and adult food, range and habitat. From the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center of the US Geological Survey
• Endangered Species Program
  Information from the US Fish & Wildlife Service on endangered species of the United States. Compare the number of endangered species for Pennsylvania (17) with those of California (292) and Hawaii (317)!
• Humane Society of the U.S.: Urban Wildlife—Our Wild Neighbors
  This website includes a variety of articles on creating a haven for wildlife in your backyard.
• Library of Congress: Edible Wild Plants
  This Science Tracer Bullet offers print and online resources for edible wild plants
• National Wildlife Federation
  NWF offers a variety of educational and action oriented outdoor adventure programs across the country and around the world.
  • National Wildlife
    A magazine from the National Wildlife Federation. Articles about animals, biodiversity, and ecology in the United States. Offers full text articles from previous issues, including photographs. It also offers an index to past articles (check your local library for past issues not on their website!).
• North American Mammals
  The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History has an online database of the mammals of North America. You can search the database or find the mammals that are found in your area. It allows you to compile and print out a field guide in .pdf format of mammals that you select.
• WildWNC.org (Wild Western North Carolina): Naturalist's Notes
  Naturalist's Notes have been written for the use of students and educators. They cover animals, insects, birds, reptiles and amphibians that exist in the southern Appalachians. They also have information on trees and animals.

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Pittsburgh Region

• Allegheny Front
  In 2009, the Allegheny Front ran a series on Pennsylvania wildlife
  • Woodrats: A Disappearing Sign of Healthy Forests
  • Wildlife Along Pittsburgh's Rivers
  • Bringing Back a Rare Butterfly (regal fritillary)
  • Big Efforts to Save North America's Smallest Turtle (bog turtle)
  • Researchers Track Timber Rattlesnakes
• Allegheny Front: Chuck Welsh the Intrepid Naturalist
  Radio snippets interviewing Chuck Welsh, a naturalist from Allegheny College who talks about frogs, toads, and salamanders, sparrows, mosquitoes, and poison ivy, mushrooms, walnuts, woodpeckers, and insects...
• Allegheny Front: Paul Wiegman, Naturalist
  These radio snippets deal primarily with botanical features of our Western Pennsylvania woodlands.
• Animal Rescue League of Western PA Wildlife Center
  The Animal Rescue League of Western PA Wildlife Center provides quality medical care, rehabilitation and release to injured, sick and orphaned native wildlife.
• Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania
  The local chapter of the national organization
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Outdoors
  Almost every Sunday in the Sports section, there is a column on "Wildlife" with information about regional species.
• Wildflowers and Trees of Western Pennsylvania
  This website by Bob Zuberbuhler, a Pittsburgh pediatrician and wildflower enthusiast, includes descriptions and photos of many wildflowers in the area.
• Wings of Wonder
  Wings of Wonder is a partnership between the Three Rivers Habitat Partnership, ASSET, Inc. and Carnegie Science Center that unites the wildlife teams of PPG and Bayer with local schools to study migratory birds and butterflies.

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Pennsylvania

• Common Trees of Pennsylvania
  This is a 70 page booklet in .pdf format from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry.
• Penn State College of Agriculture Publications: Wildlife
  These brochures in .pdf format from the extension service include titles such as "A Homeowner’s Guide to Northeastern Bats and Bat Problems", "Pennsylvania Wildlife 14: Water for Wildlife: Bird Baths and Backyard Ponds".
• Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission: Pennsylvania Fishes
  This state agency has an illustrated directory to Pennsylvania fishes, with biological information about them.
• Pennsylvania Game Commission
  Go to their section on "Wildlife" for articles about deer, swans, turkey, falcons, elk as well as birding guides.
  • Wildlife Notes
    These are extensive articles about the habits of wildlife in Pennsylvania, including mammals and birds.
• Pennsylvania Wild Resource Conservation Program
  Includes a list of Endangered Species in Pennsylvania.

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Nearby States

• Ohio Division of Wildlife
  For detailed information about wild animals in Ohio, many of which are also found in Western Pennsylvania, browse their "publications". Included are pamphlets on local species of birds, fishes, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
• Ohio Lepidopterists
  These butterfly specialists offer photos of common Ohio butterflies, which you can also find in Pennsylvania.
  • Butterfly Monitoring
  • Ohio Butterflies
• Ohio State University Firefly Files