United States of America

United Sates of America - Introduction

Before the railroads established a full connection between the cities and towns of the Eastern United States, the Conestoga wagon served the needs of the farmers and merchants in hauling their goods to market. The wagon originated in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and was built by German settlers from the area. It was 5.4 meters long, 3.3 meters high, and 1.2 meters wide. The body curved up on both ends to help stabilize heavy loads when passing over rough roads. The wagon had a cargo capacity of almost 6 tons. A heavy canvas cover, coated with linseed oil, protected the cargo from bad weather and the seams were caulked with tar to prevent water from leaking into the body during river crossings. The wagon was usually pulled by a team of up to eight horses or twelve oxen. A strong draft animal, the Conestoga horse, was bred purposely to pull the heavy wagon.

American Bison - United States of America

Fernandina Beach, founded by the French in 1562, is the oldest European settlement in the continental United States. Saint Augustine, also in Florida was founded in 1565 by the Spanish and is the second oldest. Both cities were established almost fifty years before Jamestown, Virginia, the first English settlement.

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Bison bison - The American bison has 14 pairs of ribs instead of the 13 found in true buffaloes. Great herds of bison once roamed over the vast North American grasslands. The bison was the primary food source for the Native American tribes living in the central plains area. By 1889, the bison herds had been exploited to the brink of extinct, only 541 remained alive in the United States. Through conservation efforts, the American bison has successfully recovered and is now thriving in national parks and protected reserves.

Roses - United States of America

Rosaceae - The family of Rosaceae contains over 100 species of roses, a family of erect shrubs or climbing vines, with most varieties having thorns. The majority of rose species are native to Asia, but there are species native to each region of the world. Roses are primarily grown for ornamental purposes, but they do have other uses. The essential oils are extracted for use in manufacturing perfumes and rose hip, the fruit of the plant, can be made into jams, marmalades, soups, and teas.

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The first people in the United States arrived from Siberia via a land bridge across the Bering Sea more than 15,000 years ago. When the Europeans arrived, they found well established societies. The native people were displaced as each colonial power claimed their share of the newly discovered lands. The English took the Atlantic seaboard, the Spanish the Pacific coast and western region, the French claimed the Mississippi Valley, and the Dutch limited themselves to an area of present day New York.

American Alligator - Alabama

Alabama had been part of the Mississippi territory. It was separated and designated as its own territory prior to Mississippi becoming a state in 1817. Saint Stephens served as the territorial capital from 1817 to 1819; it was then moved to Huntsville. Cahaba became the first state capital, serving from 1820 to 1825.

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Alligator mississippienesis - There are two species of alligator in existence today: the Chinese alligator, found throughout the Yangtze River basin, and the American alligator, found along the coastal waterways from North Carolina to Florida and as far west as Texas. The alligator can be traced back 180 million years to the Triassic period and is the least changed reptile on earth since its first appearance. Size varies by location and climate, but the average male grows to a length of 4 meters and weighs about 350 kilos; females are smaller.

Grizzly Bear - Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the American Union. It is more than twice the size of Texas, its nearest rival, but most of the state’s land, 65%, is held by the Federal government. Despite its huge size, Alaska falls towards the lower end in state population rankings, making it the least densely populated state.

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Ursus arctos horribilis - The name “horribilis” draws an image of a wretched beast, but the grizzly bear only acts in a horrible manner when defending cubs, a food supply or itself. The name grizzly bear is often incorrectly used in referring to every brown bear, but the name applies to one subspecies. Another related subspecies of the grizzly bear inhabits the coastal areas of Canada and Alaska, it is known as the Kodiak bear. The historic range of the grizzly had at one time extended as far south as Northern Mexico.

Arizona Blond Tarantula - Arizona

The Grand Canyon is, at its maximum, 446 kilometers long, 29 kilometers wide, and 1,857 meters deep. The waters of the Colorado River began carving into the layers of the rising Colorado Plateau about 6 or 7 million years ago to reveal Proterozoic and Paleozoic rock formations dating as far back as 2 billion years ago.

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Aphonopelma chalcodes - There are approximately 30 known species of tarantula in the United States. Most species, such as the Arizona blond tarantula, are found in the warmer southern and southwestern regions of the country. The Arizona blond tarantula derives its name from the dense layer of blond hair covering the carapace, the upper exoskeleton. The size of the Arizona blond varies between 7 to 25 centimeters. Tarantulas are carnivorous and use their venomous bites to paralyze their victims.

Northern Mockingbird - Arkansas

The Crater of Diamonds State Park near Murfreesboro, Arkansas is situated over a lamproite volcanic pipe and the only source of diamonds in the United States. Diamonds are the strongest and most compact structures of the known carbons. Three quarters of the world's diamond production is used for industrial applications.

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Mimus polyglottos - Northern mockingbirds usually pair for life. The male will stake out a territory and begin courtship displays when the breeding season starts in spring or late summer. When a female has been attracted, the male will build the nest while the female perches nearby. The female will deposit 3 to 5 eggs; the incubation period lasts from 11 to 14 days. The chicks fledge after another 10 to 15 days. Both parents will provide for their hatchlings and are known for their aggressive behavior in protecting their chicks and nest.

California Dogface Butterfly - California

The creeks and rivers running off the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range had carried and deposited tons of gold along their banks. The discovery of these easy pickings at Sutter’s Mill near Colomar, California resulted in the 1848 Gold Rush and brought over 300,000 people to California in a short period of time.

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Colias eurydice -The California dogface butterfly, also known as the flying pansy, is endemic to California. It is found in oak or coniferous woodlands from the central part of the state to Baja California. The outer section of the male’s forewing features the silhouette of a dog’s head. The female’s coloration is a pale yellow with one black spot on each forewing and lacks the dog head design. During the larvae stage, the insect will feed exclusively on the false indigo plant; adults sustain themselves from the nectar of any available flower.

Bighorn Sheep - Colorado

The Four Corners is a quadripoint, a site where four American states touch: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It is the only point in the United States where the boundaries of four states meet. The area is situated on the Colorado Plateau, a sparsely populated region covering about 337,000 square kilometers.

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Ovis canadenis - The bighorn is a species of North American wild sheep. It migrated into the Americas about 750,000 years ago using the Bering Land Bridge. The size and curvature of the horns varies by sex and region; the Rocky Mountain subspecies has larger horns than those found in the Sierra Nevada variety. Females also have horns, but they are smaller and lack the bold curvature of the male’s. The horns of an adult male can weigh 14 kilos, amounting to 10% of an male’s weight or as heavy as the rest of the skeleton.

American Robin - Connecticut

The Connecticut River flows for a length of 660 kilometers, passes through or along four states, and is the longest river in the New England region. It carries and deposits a heavy amount of silt as it empties in the Long Island Sound. The Connecticut is one of the few rivers in the United States without a large city at its mouth.

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Turdus migratorius - The American robin is a common and easily recognized bird from its reddish-orange breast; the females tend to have paler coloration. Robins retain a year-round residence in most of the United States, but the population in Canada will migrate to Mexico or the United States during the winter. It is usually the first bird to begin a new nesting cycle. The female will build the nest alone, but the male will help feed the chicks once they hatch. An average clutch consists of four eggs and takes about 14 days to hatch.

Atlantic Horseshoe Crab - Delaware

Delaware is the second smallest state in the American Union. It has three counties: New Castle, Kent, and Sussex, the least number of counties for any state. Delaware is also one of five states not featuring a city with more than 100,000 people; the other four are Maine, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

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Limulus polyphemus - The Atlantic horseshoe crab can be found along the sandy and muddy banks of swallow waters. They are common along the Atlantic coast from Maine to the Gulf of Mexico. The horseshoe feeds mainly on marine worms and is easily recognized by its odd body, a oval shell and a long spiny tail. Horseshoe crabs have six pair of appendages. The first pair are pincers, used for passing food to the mouth while the others are used for moving. Horseshoe crabs have the ability to regrow lost limbs.

Caribbean Manatee - Florida

Florida has 2,170 kilometers of oceanic coastline, the most of any lower 48 state; it is the only state bordering the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Florida is also one of the few regions having been controlled by at least 5 different sovereign nations: Spain, France, Great Britain, the Confederate States, and the United States.

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Trichechus manatus - The Caribbean manatee is one of two remaining species of manatees. Fresh water lakes and lagoons or wide sluggish rivers are their ideal habitats. Manatees feed primarily on aquatic plants, but they will also eat small fish and invertebrates. Manatees are polyphyodont. They have the ability to replace their teeth; elephants and kangaroos are included in this group. In a process similar to a conveyor belt, new teeth are formed in the back of the mouth and slowly move forward until they fall out from wear.

Azaleas - Georgia

The Georgia Gold Rush was the nation’s second “Gold Rush” and began in 1829, one year after gold was discovered in Lumpkin County. Thousands of prospectors converged on the mountains of Northern Georgia. The mines reached their peak in the late 1840’s and attention was directed to the new discoveries of California.

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Azaleas are members of the genus Rhododendron and come in a wide range of size and color. They are cultivated primarily for ornamental purposes. Azaleas are slow growing flowering shrubs, but when cut, they are able to remain fresh for several weeks. The leaves and nectar of the plant contain a toxic compound known as grayanotoxins. Accidental ingestion can effect the skeletal muscles, cardiac muscles, and nerve function of the victim; human fatalities are rare, but the toxic substance can be lethal for other animals.

Hawaiian Goose - Hawaii

An accurate measurement of a mountain’s height is obtained by measuring the distance from base to summit. Mount Everest, at 8,850 meters, is often cited as the tallest mountain in the world, but Hawaii’s Mauna Kea, measuring 10,100 meters from base to summit, is taller than Mount Everest by over 1,000 meters.

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Branta sandvicensis - The Hawaiian goose or nēnē, as it is known locally, is a medium sized goose standing 40 centimeters in height and weighing between 1.5 to 3 kilos; males are heavier than females. It is closely related to the Canada goose. The Hawaiian goose has short wings unable to support extended flights. When the goose first arrived on the Hawaiian Islands, 500,000 years ago, it faced no predators and had no need to migrate, a situation contributing to the evolutionary change in its diminished ability to fly.

Western White Pine - Idaho

Lewiston is a small city located at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater River in Idaho’s Nez Perce County. Despite being more than 500 kilometers from the Pacific Ocean, Lewiston is the furthest inland port on the western Pacific coast. It can be reached by some ocean going vessels via the Columbia and Snake Rivers.

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Pinus monticola - The western white pine is a tree found throughout the mountain regions of the Northwestern United States. It attains an average height of 40 meters and features long slender cones growing to lengths of 12 to 32 centimeters when mature. The seeds are small and fixed with winglets to assist in the dispersal process. The needles are grouped in bundles of five, fascicles, and are finely serrated. The white pine forests have declined from the infestation of the pine beetle, pine blister rot, and surprisingly, forest fire suppression.

Eastern Tiger Salamander - Illinois

Several Native American cultures were known for the large mound platforms they constructed. These mounds served primarily as foundations for erecting important community buildings. The Kincaid Mounds of Illinois date from 1050 to 1400 and featured some of the largest mounds of the Mississippian Culture.

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Ambystoma tigrinum - The markings of an eastern tiger salamander varies in coloration from one region to another; the more common color being brown and bright yellow markings resembling a tiger. They are the largest terrestrial salamander in the world, growing to maximum lengths of 35 centimeters. The tiger salamander is born in an aquatic environment and returns to the water only for breeding purposes. Adult tiger salamanders are rarely seen since they only venture out of their burrows at night to forage for food.

Northern Cardinal - Indiana

The Northwest Territory was ceded to the United States by Great Britain at the end of the Revolutionary War and through the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783. The Northwest Territory existed from 1787 to 1803. It was eventually divided to become part of six states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

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Cardinalis cardinalis - Both sexes of the northern cardinal have a crest on their head and a bright coral colored beak, but other physical features easily distinguish male from female. Adult males are a bright crimson color; females are fawn colored with slight tints of red along the crest, wings, and tail feathers. The mask around the eyes is black for males and a dark grey for females. Cardinals pair for life and participate equally in nest building, brooding, and feeding the chicks. Cardinals can produce up to four broods per season.

Western Rat Snake - Iowa

Iowa had been part of the land acquired from France through the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, the Iowa Territory was created in July of 1838 and admitted into the Union six years later. During the Civil War, Iowa was a staunch Union supporter; proportionately, it contributed more men than any other state, north or south. 

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Pantherophis obsoletus - The western rat snake, also referred to as the black snake, is found throughout the mid-section of North America. It is a non-venomous snake skilled enough at swimming and tree climbing to extend its diet to include birds, chipmunks, frogs, lizards, mice, rats, voles, and bird eggs. The rat snake is a constrictor and will wraps itself around the intended victim to render it unconscious before swallowing it. The length of the rat snake ranges from 105 to 180 centimeters, making it the largest snake in North America.

Whooping Crane - Kansas

Kansas became the center of the heated slavery debate when the territory was opened to settlers in 1854. Pro-slavery factions entered from nearby Missouri while abolitionist traveled in from as far away as New England. The vicious battles fought over slavery earned the territory the infamous name of “Bleeding Kansas.”

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Grus americana - Standing 1.8 to 2.4 meters in height, the whooping crane is the tallest bird in North America and one of only two crane species found in North America. Whooping cranes nest in Canada and migrate to Texas or Florida during the winter months. One of their migration routes takes them over Cheyenne Bottoms, Kansas, a wetland area serving as a stopping point for migrating birds using the Central Flyway. Whooping cranes are in danger of becoming extinct. There are less than 1,000 animals remaining in the wild.