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Nature Awareness, Requirement 8
Name and provide the following information for each of three species of animals (birds, mammals, insects, fish, etc.) and three species of plants native to and currently found in your area:
- Its status (endangered, threatened, thriving, overpopulated)
- A brief physical description of the species, noting if you have seen it, and where.
- Describe at least one of the following:
- a way it is or has been used by humans (for example, as food source, medicinal use, raw materials for tools, clothing, housing, etc.)
- a way in which it has been affected by human presence or development
- a way in which it has adapted to or entered into an ecological relationship with human presence or human development.
8A - Animal - Deer:
Status: overpopulated.
Description: Mammal, ranging across the state and even inside the Columbus City limits. Seen crossing a major street in downtown Columbus, among other places. Most
commonly used for sport, but also for food and occasionally clothing.
8B - Animal - Woods cockroach:
Status: thriving.
Description: Insect, lives in outdoor settings only, prefers wet, boggy climates/areas. Woods Cockroaches have been affected by the movement of humans into wetland territory that is no longer wet. Seen in my house. They cannot
live longer than two weeks inside houses, and so have begun to move away from the areas that are being civilized.
8C - Animal - Red-Tailed Hawk:
Status: Thriving.
Description: Bird, generally feeds on the equivalent of 6 mice or one large rat per day. Dates back to 1882 in central Ohio, common throughout the state. I've seen these on the OSU campus, both on the main Oval and near Ohio Stadium, as well as yesterday on West Campus. There appears to be a family of them on campus. They have been impacted by humans recently through their tendency to hang around roads (where roadkill makes an easy meal), thus increasing the number who are hit by cars.
8D - Plant - White Oak:
Status: thriving.
Description: widespread branches, round crown, green above and lighter green below on the leaves, lobed leaves. Seen in Chadwick Arboretum. Used by humans for ship-building, barrels, and building.
8E - Plant - Slippery Elm:
Status: thriving.
Description: flat-topped crown, large leaves, furrowed bark. Found on Ohio State Main Oval. Used by humans for cough medicine. Also edible.
8F - Plant - Sugar Maple:
Status: thriving.
Description: large tree, rounded crown, 5 veins from base to end of leaf lobes. Seen on Ohio State South Oval, near Mirror Lake. Used by humans for furnature, flooring, and maple syrup.
Sources for C: http://backtothewild.com/BTTWPages/Hawks.html
and http://www.aves.net/birds-of-ohio/birdrtha.htm
Source for D-F: Little, Elbert L. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North
American Trees: Eastern Region. New York, NY: Knopf. 2001
Content © 2003 - 2006, Michael J Dangler
Updated on 08/10/2006. Site Credits / Email
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