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Mount Holyoke College Wildlife Trail Species Marker #1: Ardea herodias, Great Blue Heron
Figure 1. Courtesy of Kate Ballantine
Conservation Status: Least Concern, Population Increasing
Geographic Range: Marshes & Shores from Canada to Central America
Diet: Carnivore – Fishes, Amphibians, Turtles, and Small Mammals
Behavior: Great Blue Herons nest in trees and shrubs – off of the ground and
away from predators. Males pick the nest location, and display building
materials such as twigs to attract females. Great Blue Herons mate with a
new partner every year, increasing the genetic diversity of the population. A
single clutch contains typically 3 to 5 pale blue eggs. Great Blue Herons breed
in large colonies, but forage alone, and defend a solitary territory outside of
nesting season.
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Mount Holyoke College Wildlife Trail Species Marker #2: Ambystoma maculatum, Spotted Salamander
Figure 2. Courtesy of Kate Ballantine
Conservation Status: Least Concern, Population Stable
Geographic Range: Freshwater Forest Rivers & Wetlands in the Eastern US
and Canada
Diet: Carnivore – Aquatic and Terrestrial Invertebrates
Behavior: Spotted Salamanders spend most of their adult lives hidden in leaf
litter. When threatened, they release a sticky and milky toxic liquid from glands
in their backs and tails. Breeding season begins during the first rain after the
winter snow melts, when they migrate to breeding ponds. It can take females
up to 2 to 7 years to be able to reproduce.
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Mount Holyoke College Wildlife Trail Species Marker #3: Chelydra serpentina, Common Snapping Turtle
Figure 3. Courtesy of Elena Kraus
Conservation Status: Least Concern, Population Stable
Geographic Range: Freshwater Lakes & Ponds in the Eastern US and Canada
Diet: Omnivore -- Fish, Small Mammals, Amphibians, Eggs, and Aquatic
Vegetation
Behavior: Common Snapping Turtles can live up to 30 years in the wild. They
bury themselves in the bottom of murky waters in order to ambush aquatic
prey. Snapping turtles communicate to mates with leg movements while the
turtles face each other. Social interaction is limited to breeding, despite that
many individuals may share a territory.
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Mount Holyoke College Wildlife Trail Species Marker #4: Aix sponsa, Wood Duck
Figure 4. Courtesy of Kate Ballantine
Conservation Status: Least Concern, Population Increasing
Geographic Range: Woodland Ponds and River Swamps in the Eastern US and
Canada
Diet: Omnivore – Aquatic Plants, Seeds, Insects, and Acorns
Behavior: Wood Ducks nest in tree cavities lined with down feathers from the
female’s breast. Breeding pairs search for a nest location together, and prefer
cavities over 2 ft. from the ground. Clutches average 6 to 11 tannish-white
eggs, but up to 29 have been found in a nest; the result of egg-dumping by
other females. Hatchlings leave the nest for the first time within a day. A
breeding pair may be seen grooming each other when together.
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Mount Holyoke College Wildlife Trail Species Marker #5: Orconectes rusticus, Rusty Crayfish
Figure 5. Courtesy of Kate Ballantine
Conservation Status: Least Concern, Population Stable
Geographic Range: Native to Lakes and Streams of the Great Lakes region &
Introduced to the Northeast
Diet: Detritivore – Aquatic Debris & Plants, Invertebrates, and Fish Eggs
Behavior: Rusty Crayfish can lay 80 to 575 eggs at a time and have a life
span of 3 to 4 years. Individuals live in shallow burrows under rocks & debris,
and will force other crayfish out of hides during the day; always fighting when
they come across other crayfish of their own kind. They communicate using
urine when engaged in fights, as a cue of recognition.
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Mount Holyoke College Wildlife Trail Species Marker #6: Procyon lotor, Northern Raccoon
Figure 6. Courtesy of Cal Cray
Conservation Status: Least Concern, Population Increasing
Geographic Range: Woodlands in Mainland US, Southern Canada, Mexico, and
Central America
Diet: Omnivore – Fish, Fruit, Eggs, Nuts, Insects, Seeds, and Tubers
Behavior: Northern Raccoons are highly adaptable to new habitats and diets.
They are crepuscular, leaving their den at dusk and twilight, rarely traveling
over 3km from home. Raccoons live for an average of 5 years but can live to
16 years. Motor vehicles kill 15 million annually in the US. Raccoons typically eat
with their hands, not directly with their mouth; they will “wash” their food in
water if it is available.
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Mount Holyoke College Wildlife Trail Species Marker #7: Odocoileus virginianus, White-tailed Deer
Figure 7. Courtesy of Kate Ballantine
Conservation Status: Least Concern, Population Stable
Geographic Range: Forests & Grasslands in Mainland US, Canada, Mexico, and
Central America
Diet: Herbivore – Maple, Aspen, Birch, Yucca, and Prickly Pear Cactus
Behavior: White-tailed deer typically live 2 to 3 years, but can live to 10 years
in the wild, or 16 in captivity. They can run up to 30 mph through a forest.
Females will graze together in herds of hundreds, while males will travel in
small groups of 2 to 4 in summer, but disband before mating season. Scent
glands between hoof sections are used to communicate with other deer,
becoming especially strong during mating season. Worms dispersed by white-
tailed deer are fatal to moose and caribou, decreasing the competition for food
resources as they share very similar diets.
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Mount Holyoke College Wildlife Trail Species Marker #8: Danaus plexippus, Monarch Butterfly
Figure 8. Courtesy of Kalyndi Martin
Conservation Status: Apparently Secure
Geographic Range: Open Country & Forest in Mainland US, Canada, Mexico, and
Central America
Diet: Nectarivore – Milkweed and Flower Nectar
Behavior: Monarch Butterflies migrate seasonally. They have two distinct
populations in North America; those that breed in the East and those that
breed in the West. The Eastern population overwinters in the volcanic
mountains of eastern Michoacán in central Mexico. The Western breeders spend
their winters along the California coast. Monarchs are poisonous to
vertebrates, their poison comes from milkweed consumption.
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Mount Holyoke College Wildlife Trail Species Marker #9: Erethizon dorsatum, North American Porcupine
Figure 9. Courtesy of Kate Ballantine
Conservation Status: Least Concern, Population Stable
Geographic Range: Grassland & Forest in the Mainland US & Alaska, Canada,
and Northern Mexico
Diet: Herbivore – Bark, Evergreen Needles, Leaves, Berries, and Seeds
Behavior: North American Porcupines can live up to 18 years in the wild.
Porcupine habitat varies geographically; in Massachusetts they spend 13% of
their time on the ground. Porcupines are the only mammal in North America to
use quills to deter predators. When threatened, a porcupine will chatter its
teeth and produce a chemical odor before using their quills, as it requires a
great amount of energy to release.
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Mount Holyoke College Wildlife Trail Species Marker #10: Lynx rufus, Bobcat
Figure 10. Courtesy of Kate Ballantine
Conservation Status: Least Concern, Population Stable
Geographic Range: Shrubland & Forest & Grasslands in the Mainland US,
Southern Canada, and Northern Mexico
Diet: Carnivore – Rodents, Rabbits, Birds, and Lizards
Behavior: Bobcats can live up to 12 years in the wild, and can live to 32 in
captivity. They are very territorial, male territories overlap with multiple
females; males and females rarely overlap with the same sex. Bobcat tails
have a black tip with a white underside. In suburban areas, bobcats are often
targeted as pests due to their predation on small pets left outside without
human supervision.
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Mount Holyoke College Wildlife Trail Species Marker #11: Sciurus carolinensis, Eastern Gray Squirrel
Figure 11. Courtesy of Kate Ballantine
Conservation Status: Least Concern, Population Increasing
Geographic Range: Forests in the Eastern US and Southern Canada
Diet: Omnivore – Nuts, Flowers, Insects, Seeds, Fungi and Bark
Behavior: Eastern Gray Squirrels are the most commonly seen mammal in the
eastern United States. They communicate with each other through
vocalizations and tail-flicking. Squirrels enjoy over 24 species of oak tree buds.
Their forgotten winter seed caches are important to seed dispersal; they also
help to distribute truffle spores as they drop when being eaten. Squirrels are
extremely agile and are difficult for predators to capture.
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Mount Holyoke College Wildlife Trail Species Marker #12: Lycaena phlaeas, American Copper Butterfly
Figure 12. Courtesy of Sal Cosmedy
Conservation Status: Secure
Geographic Range: Prairies in the Eastern US and Canada
Diet: Nectarivore – Rumex, Buttercup, Clover, Daisy, Wild Strawberry
Behavior: American Coppers are active all day, visiting plants and sunning
their wings. They can live for up to a year if they find suitable wintering
locations. The species is the smallest of the coppers. American Coppers prefer
areas with disturbance. They communicate with other butterflies visually.
There is no parental care of young after eggs are laid.
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Mount Holyoke College Wildlife Trail Species Marker #13: Urocyon cinereoargenteus, Gray Fox
Figure 13. Courtesy of Kate Ballantine
Conservation Status: Least Concern, Population Stable
Geographic Range: Forests & Shrubland in the Mainland US, Mexico, and
Central America
Diet: Omnivore – Birds, Small Mammals, Eggs, Nuts, and Fruit
Behavior: Gray Foxes are solitary and nocturnal creatures. Their
characteristic short legs and retractable claws make them more primitive of
the Canidae family. Foxes communicate primarily by barking and growling, and
through urine.
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Mount Holyoke College Wildlife Trail Species Marker #14: Archilochus colubris, Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Figure 14. Courtesy of Project Stream
Conservation Status: Least Concern, Population Increasing
Geographic Range: Forests in the Eastern US, Canada, Mexico, and Central
America
Diet: Nectarivore – Floral Nectar and Small Insects
Behavior: Ruby-throated Hummingbirds live 5 to 9 years old in the wild. Their
nests are the size of a large sewing thimble. Hummingbirds can see in the
blue-violet range and near UV wavelengths 370 to 570 nm. They emit high-
pitched chirps to warn other hummingbirds when they enter their territory.
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Mount Holyoke College Wildlife Trail Species Marker #15: Didelphis virginiana, Virginia Opossum
Figure 15. Courtesy of Kate Ballantine
Conservation Status: Least Concern, Population Increasing
Geographic Range: Forest & Shrubland in the Eastern & Central US, Southern
Canada, Mexico, and Central America
Diet: Omnivore – Small Mammals, Fruits, Seeds, Snails, and Insects
Behavior: Virginia Opossums are mostly active at dusk and dawn. They change
den sites every few days unless mothers have young. They are known for going
into a state called “playing opossum” where they feign death for 1 minute to 6
hours. Opossums are very slow and clumsy. An average of 13 babies live in the
pouch for 2 months, then cling to their mothers back for 2 more months.
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Mount Holyoke College Wildlife Trail Species Marker #16: Homo sapiens, Human
Conservation Status: Least Concern, Population Increasing
Geographic Range: Earth
Stephanie M Bennett, Class of 2019
Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Capstone Project
Thank you to Kate Ballantine, Tim Farnham, and fellow Mount Holyoke College
students who assisted me in collecting pictures and data. A special thanks to
the Restoration Ecology Project for being the perfect host for such a trail, and
for all it does by providing a safe habitat for local wildlife.
Please scan this QR code to learn more about the species that call Mount
Holyoke College home, see more pictures from our wildlife cameras, and find
resources!
[QR code for link to paper and pictures]
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