This site is a portal to all plants and animals photographed within Fontenelle Forest and Neale Woods Nature Reserve.
Featured Species
Did You Know?
Black-eyed Susans are pioneer plants, one of the first plants to grow after a fire or other natural disaster.
These flowers grow in a wide variety of habitats, flowering mostly in June and July. At Neale Woods Nature Reserve, the Black-eyed Susan is common in all prairie restorations. It is also common in the floodplain prairie at Fontenelle Forest.
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Painted turtles are one of the most common turtle species in North America. These turtles are common in Fontenelle Forest, often seen on a sunny summer day crowding the available space on a log in water along Stream Trail and along the shore of the Great Marsh.
A turtle’s shell is made up of about 60 bones. If you look closely at a turtle’s upper shell, you can see a raised line running from head to tail. This line is the turtle’s backbone.
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The smaller Orchard Oriole is very similar to a Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) but its burnt orange plumage is much duller than the bright orange plumage of the Baltimore Oriole.
The Orchard Oriole is a somewhat common summer breeder that arrives by late April to early May and is usually gone by early September.
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Female Eastern Tiger Swallowtails tend to be larger and more colorful than males. If you see a swallowtail with larger blue markings on the hindwings, chances are its female.
Swallowtails are the largest butterflies in North America. These butterflies can be seen in spring and summer nectaring on flowers. They also can be seen alone or in groups around mud puddles, obtaining minerals from the wet soil.
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5 Tips for Capturing Your Fontenelle Forest Experience
- Embrace your inner explorer. Go on a nature scavenger hunt!
- Use free apps to identify the plants and animals you encounter.
- Take the path less traveled.
- Did you discover something cool on your hike? Take a picture instead of taking it with you!
- Not ready for a solo adventure? Sign up for a program or guided hike!
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