Field Guide to the Hudson Valley
presented by the BARD SCIENCE JOURNAL
PLANTS Northern maidenhair fern, Adiantum pedatum This fern’s fronds create a fan-like pattern, and look circular, unlike the triangular pattern of most ferns. You can find this fern growing on the rocky hill just north of the Bard cemetery. Fun fact: Maidenhair fiddleheads are burgundy, and likely the inspiration for Where the Red Fern Grows. Christmas fern, Polystichum acrostichoides This fern is common throughout campus. Look for a dark green fern with sock-shaped leaflets. It’s called Christmas fern because it stays green throughout the winter, and possibly because the leaflets are shaped like stockings. Jewelweed, Impatiens capensis This plant is tall with small yellow-orange petals and many leaves. Often found along creeks and in shaded, wet areas, you can find it near the pond by the student parking lot, and along the Tivoli bays trails. Fun fact: The juice from the stem can be used to relieve irritation from poison ivy. Black walnut, Juglans nigra This is a large tree with lance-shaped leaf blades. You’ve probably stepped on the black walnut fruit—those hard, green ball-like structures scattered all over the ground. There are a few behind Sands House and near Buildings and Grounds. Fun fact: The roots produce juglone, which is toxic to many different types of plants, like tomato and blueberry, and can kill the plants within 2 months. Silver maple, Acer saccharinum This tree has leaf lobes that are more deeply cut than those in red maples. The underside of the leaves often look silvery when moving in the wind, hence the name. There is a large silver maple labeled in front of Kline, near the picnic tables. FUNGI Common morel, Morchella esculenta This mushroom is cream-colored and looks like a wrinkled, uneven honeycomb. It’s an edible mushroom, but cannot be eaten raw, and I would not recommend eating
any wild mushrooms. Deadly galerina, Galerina autumnalis This mushroom, as its common name implies, is poisonous. It’s a small mushroom with a brown cap and a ring on its stem. The toxin affects the central nervous system, kidneys, and liver, and there is no cure for the poison. MAMMALS Bobcat, Lynx rufus Bobcats are large cats with brown fur and dark stripes and spots. They have tufts of hair on the tops of their ears and a lot of hair on the sides of their faces. Although they’re not seen often, they’ve been seen on and near campus. Red fox, Vulpes vulpes Red foxes vary from very red or brown to nearly black and have yellow eyes. Their habitat ranges from the tundra to prairies and deserts. You probably won’t see one on campus, but if you go hiking in the area, you might spot one! Star-nosed mole, Condylura cristata Its body is like other moles, but its nose is hairless and surrounded by a pink, fleshy circle of tentacles—the “star.” These stars are extremely sensitive to touch, and consist of 22 tentacles, and each tentacle equipped with about 25,000 touch receptors. These moles are found in moist soils, often near ponds and lakes, because they dive into the water for food. Fun fact: Their tentacles are able to touch as many as 12 objects per second! Coyote, Canis latrans Coyotes are gray-ish brown, with white throats and bellies. They may look like a domesticated dog, but they differ with their large, pointed and erect ears and drooping tails. They are important for keeping rodent populations in check, which can help in the reduction of tickborne infectious diseases. AMPHIBIANS Marbled salamander, Ambystoma opacum This salamander is much fatter than the plethodontids, and its body is black with bands of white or silvery white across its back. These salamanders hide under leaf litter, but are secretive and not easy to find.
Red-backed salamander, Plethodon cinereus This is one of the most abundant salamanders in the area. You can recognize it by its slender body and salt and pepper speckled sides and belly. It has 2 color phases: the redbacks have a red stripe down their backs, which the leadbacks lack. You can find them in the woods north of the cemetery or near the library. They’re usually hiding under rocks and logs. Slimy salamander, Plethodon glutinosus The slimy salamander is also abundant, but they seem to be a bit more secretive than the redbacked salamanders. They are also found under rocks and logs, and are recognized by their black bodies with silvery spots. I found one underneath rocks on the hill by the cemetery (near northern maidenhair fern). Fun fact: They’re called slimy salamanders because they secrete a slimy, glue-ish substance from their skin. Eastern gray tree frog, Hyla versicolor This frog, as its name implies, can camouflage itself, changing from white to almost black. Though you can see them in a range of colors, they are usually gray-ish, with warty skin, black splotches on their backs, and white patches right below their eyes. They’re secretive and nocturnal, but you might spot them on moist logs or inside the hollows of trees in wooded areas around campus. Fun fact: Due to the glycerol in their blood, they have a high freezing tolerance, and during hibernation about 80% of their bodies freeze, and their eyes become opaque. Spring peeper, Pseudacris crucifer You can find this frog in marshy woods or areas near ponds and lakes (maybe near the pond behind the student parking lot). It tends to hide in the leaf litter, and is distinguished by a dark cross across its back and bands across its hind legs.
FISH American eel, Anguilla rostrata Eels are easily distinguished from other fish because they have an elongated body, similar to a snake, and one continuous dorsal fin. In the spring, you can see the glass eels (young stage of the eel) migrate through the Saw Kill (the bay near the field station). Fun fact: Eels are catadromous, meaning they spend most of their adult life in freshwater, but then migrate to the ocean to spawn and die. Shortnose sturgeon, Acipenser brevirostrum Sturgeons are recognized by the bony plates that line their backs. The shortnose sturgeon has a shorter snout than the Atlantic sturgeon, and are also shorter in length. They are listed as an endangered species.
REPTILES Painted turtle, Chrysemys picta These turtles have a dark, smooth carapace, and have bright red and yellow markings on its head, legs, and inner shell. They live in marshes, lakes, and streams, and are very common around this area. Blanding’s turtle, Emydoidea blandingii These turtles have a dark green/black carapace (shell), sometimes with small yellow dots, and their throats are distinctly yellow. They live in or near marshes, swamps, and ponds, preferring shallow water with a lot of vegetation. Although you can’t find these turtles on campus, they do have habitats near Bard, and are listed as a threatened species in New York. Ringneck snake, Diadophis punctatus This snake is gray or dark gray with a yellow-ish band around its neck. The underbelly is yellow or orange. They usually found in wooded areas, hiding under leaf litter or rocks—look around the woods near the cemetery, or across the street from the cemetery.
Common garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis If you’ve come across a snake at Bard, it might have been the common garter. These snakes are very pretty, and have a brown or dark body with three stripes running the length of the body. The stripes can be yellow, white, green, or brown. They like grassy areas, and are often found near water. BIRDS Red-winged blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus The males are shiny black with a red and yellow patch on the upper part of their wings, and females are brown with streaks. Found in wetlands and marshes, you’re likely to find them in the Tivoli Bays. Song: “Conk-la-reee!” Red-eyed vireo, Vireo olivaceus This songbird is olive-green with a gray head, white belly, and red eyes. You’re more likely to hear them than see them, and their song sounds like, “Here I am, where are you?” Marsh wren, Cistothorus palustris These small birds are brown with black and white streaks and a very thin bill. They have light-colored chests and a dark brown cap on the head. They are found among cattails in marshes. Bicknell’s thrush, Catharus bicknelli This songbird is mostly gray and brown, with a darker tail, and brown speckles near the throat. It was only recently discovered to be a separate species from the gray-cheeked thrush, and is now one of the migratory species most at risk of extinction, because of its restricted breeding range and low population numbers. Turkey vulture, Cathartes aura These raptor-like birds are large and dark, but unlike eagles and ospreys, their wings look like a V when flying. They fly in wobbly circles, and you’ve probably seen them circling above the RKC or Buildings and Grounds.
Black-capped chickadee, Poecile atricapillus These small birds have very round black-capped heads, white cheeks, and gray wings. They live here year-round, so look out for them in the winter. Call: “Chickadee-dee-dee” Fun fact: They can communicate higher threat levels by adding more “dee” notes to their call. INSECTS AND SPIDERS Dogbane beetle, Chrysochus auratus These beetles are a pretty iridescent blue-green and copper. They have long, segmented antennae and are found on or near dogbane plants. Eastern dobsonfly, Corydalus cornutus Adult dobsonflies are large, about 2 inches long, with gray wings and a brown body. Males have very long mandibles, which are used to hold the female while mating. The larvae, hellgrammites, are long with strong mandibles, and live aquatically. Goldenrod crab spider, Misumena vatia This bright yellow to white spider is often found on goldenrods and white flowers. The males are darker, but both have short, flattened bodies. Garden spider, Argiope aurantia These spiders are black with bright red or orange markings on its abdomen. They are sexually dimorphic—the females are up to 3 times as large as males. Their webs have zigzags through the middle. MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES Mourning cloak butterfly, Nymphalis antiopa This butterfly is dark brown/maroon, with a light yellow or cream coloration along the edges of its wings and bright blue spots near this coloration. The caterpillar is dark with orange spots and spikes. Luna moth, Actias luna These moths are striking with their pale yellow-green coloration and long hindwing tails. Males have very feathered antennae. The caterpillars are a brighter yellow-green color.
I used the NOAA website, NatureServe, the DEC’s Nature Explore, Animal Diversity Web, Cornell Ornithology Lab, knowledge from biology courses, suggestion from Felicia Keesing, Bruce Robertson, Phillip Johns, and my own observations to put together this field guide. Happy hiking! — Jennifer Gillen
PHOTOS BY:
Jennifer Gillen, Donald Long, Kent McFarland, Alex Ranaldi, John Johnson, Sara Viernum, Len Blumin, Fern M. Stuart, Ian Keith, Josh More, Mike and Matt Tillett, Cat Sidh, Tom Biebel, Doug Mills, Bill Lewis, Rick Leche, David Hofmann, Henry McLin, Kelly Azar, Matt Knoth, Renee McGurk, Bob Reck