A Little Bit More
Conservation of our wildlife resources is widely accepted to be of critical importance but trying to protect an animal or plant that the public has never heard about can be extremely difficult. An important part of any effective conservation effort, is a knowledgeable and supportive public. One individual who has probably done as much as anyone to educate the public about its wildlife heritage, is Roger Tory Peterson.
Peterson’s 1934 “Field Guide to the Birds” created a whole new and easy way for the public to learn about birds. Peterson used his ability as an artist, naturalist, writer, and ornithologist to show people how to focus on each bird’s key characteristics – a technique that’s still widely used today. Field guides on subjects from wildflowers, seashells, trees, birds, or insects are available in almost every bookstore in North America today; who hasn’t heard of the Peterson Field Guide series? We all owe a debt of gratitude to Roger Tory Peterson, a man who has done much to bring wildlife and wildlife conservation into the consciousness of the general public.
Today there are field guides for the “beginner”, the “intermediate” and even the “expert”. No field guide has it all so many enthusiasts have several guides and get something of value from each. Guides vary due to their subject but usually include good illustrations or photos, information on the size, color, habitat, and a map of the organism’s range, as well as other helpful information. Once an individual has used a field guide to identify an animal or plant, they can always go to more detailed sources to find out more but that initial identification is a crucial step. For many people, a hike in the woods or field wouldn’t be complete without their favorite field guide to help them identify all that they see.
Activities
Look It Up
Objectives: Introduction to one or more field guides
Materials: Field guide(s) birds, mammals, reptiles/amphibians, insects, etc. that include your local area
Field guides are extremely helpful. And yet, it’s amazing how many people have never used them so here’s an opportunity for your students to be exposed to a valuable tool they can use throughout their lives. No matter how “expert” one becomes, a handy field guide is always a useful asset.
1. Have your students select several local animals that they can use a field guide (be sure the guide covers your area) to find out about.
2. They can either select some animals they’ve seen around their home or school OR they can look through a field guide and see which animal(s) are in the guide that they’ve seen around their area that they’d like to highlight.
3. Have each student fill in the following list about their animal choices. These are:
- Common Name? ie Red-headed Woodpecker
- Scientific Name? ie. Melanerpes erythrocephalus
- Size? ie. 21-24 cm (8.5-9.5”)
- Color? ie. Red head, bluish-black back, and white belly
- Typical behaviors? ie.clings to tree trunks and pecks at bark for food
- Habitat It Usually Lives In? ie. scattered woods, farm country, orchards
- Unusual Features? ie.Entire head is red – unlike any other woodpecker
- Geographic Location? ie.Centralia, Illinois (southwestern Illinois)
With this information, the students now have some very basic, yet very helpful facts about their animal. You may want to have your students look at the range map of their chosen animals to see where they’re found in North America. Some of these will have very wide ranges across the continent while others may be very restricted in their range.
You may want to have the students to share their information in some fashion. One bit of sharing that would be interesting would be for the students to determine which animal that has been selected by the students has the widest range and which animal has the smallest range.
Key Concepts
Adaptations and Diversity, Identification
Questions
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