Tick Bite Prevention & More
Animals and Wildlife Native to Long Island
Learn where to find wildlife and master commonly misunderstood terms related to wildlife needs, behaviors, and life cycles.
When our conservation data reveals these commonly misunderstood terms, it's flagged by Quality Parks as a park need.
When our conservation data reveals these commonly misunderstood terms, it's flagged by Quality Parks as a park need.
Where to Find Wildlife
All wildlife need safe foraging with food and water resources, and nesting area for mating and reproduction. They also need cover shelter from predators. All wildlife follows the seasonal weather patters, but our changing climate is disrupting these cycles. Most wildlife prefers certain kinds of habitat, but others are more flexible. Endangered and threatened species are vulnerable to extinction because of their limited ability to be flexible in food and habitat choices, limited by habitat loss and predation ie., domestic cats. All wildlife has ways of communication. Parks vary in what wildlife can be seen, according to seasonal changes. In time, you will start to see patterns, realizing that certain wildlife prefer saltwater, others freshwater, others upland habits, and vary their behavior and presence for each season.
Master Commonly Misunderstood Terms
Marine/Freshwater Environments:
Understanding the difference between a freshwater and marine environments is at the top. It's not as easy as you think. There are variations of salinity between fresh and marine habitats, which are brackish, but let's deal with the basics first. Don't ever taste the water to decide its salinity, nor should you rely on a sandy beach as an indicator, nor if it has a creek or harbor appended to it's name. Some creeks can be fresh or salty. Harbors are protected from rough weather, and can also be fresh or salty. But coastal means near saltwater only. To determine if an environment is fresh or salty, look to it's wildlife - the animals and plants you see with your eyes, a good field guide/app, and/or go on a field outing with a local expert. Our notes: Confusion maybe when see a beach, as sany beaches are on freshwater lakes as well. And/or not realizing that tidal can only be applied when the body of water is brackish to saltwater. Also rivers on LI can be - fresh, brackish, and coastal marine envornments. Also in providing interpretive maps for the public, color coded fresh vs brackish vs marine would be of great help.
Understanding the difference between a freshwater and marine environments is at the top. It's not as easy as you think. There are variations of salinity between fresh and marine habitats, which are brackish, but let's deal with the basics first. Don't ever taste the water to decide its salinity, nor should you rely on a sandy beach as an indicator, nor if it has a creek or harbor appended to it's name. Some creeks can be fresh or salty. Harbors are protected from rough weather, and can also be fresh or salty. But coastal means near saltwater only. To determine if an environment is fresh or salty, look to it's wildlife - the animals and plants you see with your eyes, a good field guide/app, and/or go on a field outing with a local expert. Our notes: Confusion maybe when see a beach, as sany beaches are on freshwater lakes as well. And/or not realizing that tidal can only be applied when the body of water is brackish to saltwater. Also rivers on LI can be - fresh, brackish, and coastal marine envornments. Also in providing interpretive maps for the public, color coded fresh vs brackish vs marine would be of great help.
Pine Barrens Environment
Typically, a reviewer will be able to identify a forest\woodland, but sometimes miss that it is also a pine barrens environment. Pine Barrens contain pine trees that have three needles in one bundle. It also has sandy soils, and it can contain freshwaters including bogs. It also has a distinctive fragrance, part due to the pines, sweet fern and bayberry shrubs. It's common to see flocking chick-a-dees feeding on pine cone seeds all year round, morning cloak butterflies in the spring, an ocassional fowler's toad hopping about (match the sandy soil color), and the arrival of towhees in the spring. These are many, may species of wildlife found in the pine barrens so it's always best to explore the area with a local expert, and to break our field guides/apps. Our notes: Had trouble identifying a pine barrens environment.
Typically, a reviewer will be able to identify a forest\woodland, but sometimes miss that it is also a pine barrens environment. Pine Barrens contain pine trees that have three needles in one bundle. It also has sandy soils, and it can contain freshwaters including bogs. It also has a distinctive fragrance, part due to the pines, sweet fern and bayberry shrubs. It's common to see flocking chick-a-dees feeding on pine cone seeds all year round, morning cloak butterflies in the spring, an ocassional fowler's toad hopping about (match the sandy soil color), and the arrival of towhees in the spring. These are many, may species of wildlife found in the pine barrens so it's always best to explore the area with a local expert, and to break our field guides/apps. Our notes: Had trouble identifying a pine barrens environment.
How Do We Know About Commonly Misunderstood Terms
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Data originates from survey responses. When we ask our volunteers to review a park or a park resource, they make observations on existing natural conditions and concepts. Based on their observations as community scientists, we've discovered commonly misunderstood terms. We help them improve their knowledge with additional clarifying questions, and also share what we learn with others (see graph on the right).
The more park reviews we receive, the more our data reflects commonly misunderstood terms. Understanding environmental conservation isn't a simple matter, but the more you grasp, the better your wildlife seeking skills become. Learn more about supporting conservation. |
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We can only continue to provide this information with volunteerism, membership, and donations.
