Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Savanna-Lipstick Powderhorn

Lipstick Powderhorn

Order: Lecanorales

Family: Cladoniaceae

Genus: Cladonia

Species: C. mailenta Hoff.

General Characteristics: Tall, slender, podetia topped with small, bright red, apothecia. Podetia often thicker at the top.

Special Adaptations: Lipstick Powderhorn has a distinct chemistry, which allows some to describe it further down the chemical race. The chemical race thamnolic acid is more commonly found on rocks.

Savanna-Mullein

Mullein

Order: Lamiales

Family: Scrophulariaceae

Genus: Verbascum

Species: V. thapsus

General Characteristics: Mullein is biennial, so it lives for two years. The first year, this plant grows a rosette, but no flower stalk. The rosette survives through Winter, and the flower stalk grows the second year. At the end of the second year, the plant dies. The rosette leaves are large and soft. They are bluish-green and grow up to 12 inches long and 5 inches wide. Most people compare the soft surface of a leaf to felt.

Common Mullein flowers are yellow with five petals. Flowers are about an inch wide. They bloom a few at a time from June to September.

Special Adaptations: Mullein produce huge numbers of seeds. One mullein plant may make over 100,000 seeds in a year. Seeds can survive almost any conditions and can last up to 100 years. Since mullein can't grow in shade, the seeds can lay in the soil, waiting until plants around them die or are removed.

Savanna-Buckeye Butterfly

Buckeye Butterfly

Order: Lepidoptera

Family: Nymphalidae

Genus: Junonia

Species: J. coenia

General Characteristics: The upperside is brown. The forewing has 2 orange cell bars and 2 eyespots; part of white subapical band appears in the largest, lower eyespot. The hindwing has 2 eyespots; upper one is largest and contains a magenta crescent. The underside of hindwing is brown or tan in the wet season (summer) form and rose-red in the dry season (fall) form.

Special Adaptations: The Buckeye breeds on plants containing bitter iridoid glycosides, including plantains, various Scrophulariaceae, and Lippia. Favorite nectar sources are composites including aster, chickory, gumweed, knapweed, and tickseed sunflower. Dogbane, peppermint, and other flowers are also visited.

Savanna-Whorled Milkweed

Whorled Milkweed

Order: Gentianales

Family: Asclepiadaceae

Genus: Asclepias

Species: A. verticillata

General Characteristics: This native perennial plant is unbranched and up to 2' tall. Whorls of 4-8 linear leaves occur along the slender central stem. This stem is ridged and hairless. Each leaf is up to 3" long and 1/8" across, with a prominent longitudinal vein, and no hairs. The leaves often curve downward from the stem, and then curl slightly upward toward their outer tips. Along the upper half of the plant are short-stalked umbels of greenish white flowers that emerge from the axils of the leaves. These umbels have up to 20 flowers and span about 2-3" across. Each flower consists of 5 strongly reflexed petals that are light green, and 5 white hoods that are arranged around the center of the flower. An individual flower is about 1/3" across. There is little or no floral scent. The blooming period occurs from early to late summer, and lasts about 1-2 months. Later, slender follicles appear where the flowers have been successfully pollinated. These follicles split along one side to release numerous seeds with large tufts of white hairs. The follicles are about 3-4" long and 2/3" across, with a fairly smooth surface. Seed dispersion is by wind. The root system is fibrous and rhizomatous. This plant often forms colonies.

Special Adaptations: This little milkweed blooms later in the year than many other members of the genus, and is good at attracting butterflies. The foliage of this plant resembles a horsetail, but the flowers reveal its membership in the Milkweed family. It can be distinguished from other milkweeds by its skinny whorled leaves and greenish white flowers.

Savanna-Chinese Praying Mantis

Chinese Praying Mantis

Order: Mantodea

Family: Mantidae

Genus: Tenodera

Species: T. aridifolia sinensis

General Characteristics: A long and thin praying mantis with the colors ranging in different shades of browns. When adult, they have a green lateral stripe down the side of the wing case. They also have a small spike on the four walking legs. Being quite a large Mantis, the adult size varies from 85 - 100mm in length (Dependent on the sex).

Special Adaptations: As an organic insect control method, the praying mantis is very effective. With a voracious appetite, the mantid will feed on just about any pest insect. Introduced into the United States approximately 75 years ago, the Chinese Praying Mantis. With an enormous appetite they have been known to eat up to 16 crickets per day and consume over 21 different species of insects.

Savanna-Flower Fly

Flower Fly (Hoverfly)

Order: Diptera

Family: Syrphidae

Genus: Various

Species: Various

General Characteristics: Their size ranges from 4 mm to over 25 mm and their coloration from bright yellow or orange to dull dark black or gray with a few iridescent forms. Flower Flies are abundant on flowers, which are used as mating sites and energy sources. Hoverflies have spots, bands or stripes, of yellow, brown against a dark-coloured background, sometimes with dense hair covering the body surface (emulating furry bumble bees). Their fast flight, motionless flight and, in some species, their size are astonishing feats. Some Hovers are among the biggest flies of Central Europe. Many species are very colorful. It is not always that easy to identify hover flies. Some thick headed flies and bee flies are similar and dark coloration makes it hard to identify them correctly at a glance.

Special Adaptations: Many flower Flies are Batesian mimics of stinging wasps and bees (Hymenoptera).

Savanna-Wild White Indigo

Wild White Indigo

Order: Hemiptera

Family: Fabaceae

Genus: Baptisia

Species: B. alba macrophylla

General Characteristics: This native perennial plant is about 3-6' tall and forms an erect, sparsely branched bush, although it is herbaceous. The stout central stem and upper side stems are smooth, light green or reddish purple, and glaucous. The compound leaves are trifoliate. They are usually greyish green or blue green, and hairless. Each leaflet is ovate or oblanceolate and pointed at both ends, with smooth margins, and about 2" long and ¾" across. The white flowers occur in erect spike-like racemes up to 2' long and are quite showy. They are typical pea flowers in overall structure, and about 1" long. There is no floral scent. The blooming period occurs from late spring to mid-summer and lasts about 1-1½ months. The flowers are replaced by large oblong seedpods, which are also rather showy. They are about 2" long and initially green, but later turn black. There is a stout deep taproot, and rhizomes that may form vegetative offsets. Once established, White Wild Indigo grows very quickly during the spring – it often towers above the surrounding plants by blooming time.

Special Adaptations: Native Americans used Baptisia tinctoria root to treat a wide range of maladies. Wild indigo preparations were applied externally to disinfect wounds and soothe inflammations, and ingested as a remedy for venereal disease, pain, and liver and kidney problems. Their use of wild indigo to create a weak blue dye inspired the nickname “false indigo”. Wild indigo was also once known as “horsefly weed”, as farmers discovered that tying bunches of the plant to horses kept insects at bay. Doctors in the late 1800s-early 1900s recognized the potential of wild indigo to combat deadly illnesses, notably typhoid, smallpox, and scarlet fever . Botanical literature from this period documents Baptisia tinctoria as a treatment for ulcerations, gangrenous wounds, upper respiratory infections, and mouth sores, and states that it also fortifies red blood cells and promotes the flow of bile and digestive juices.

Savanna-Brown Stink Bug

Brown Stink Bug

Order: Hemiptera

Family: Pentatomidae

Genus: Euschistus

Species: E. servus

General Characteristics: Green Stink Bugs and Brown Stink Bugs. Adult stink bugs are shaped like a shield, but the nymphs (juveniles) can look very different from their adult stage, having very short, stubby wing pads, and are often a different color than the adults. In particular, green stink bug nymphs have a flashy display of black, green, orange and yellow. The brown stink bug adult should not be confused with the beneficial Spined Soldier Bug which feeds on caterpillars and other insect pests. To tell these two apart, look at their feeding beak or needle-like mouthpart. The beak of the brown stink bug is slender to pierce through delicate plant tissue. The beak of the spined soldier bug is thicker so that it can harpoon into their insect prey.

Special Adaptations: Stink bugs feed on over 52 plants, including native and ornamental trees, shrubs, vines, weeds, and many cultivated crops. Stink bugs build up on these hosts and move to soybeans late in the season as their preferred foods mature.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Shrub Carr Ecosystem-Raccoon


Raccoon

Order: Carnivora

Family: Procyonidae

Genus: Procyon

Species: P. lotor

General Characteristics: The most distinguishable characteristics of the raccoon are its black mask across the eyes and bushy tail with anywhere from four to ten black rings. The forepaws resemble slender human hands and make the raccoon unusually dexterous. Both their forepaws and hindpaws have five toes. Coloration varies with habitat, but tends to range from grey to reddish brown to buff. Raccoons are stocky in build and generally weigh from six to seven kilograms. Weight varies with habitat and region, though, and can range from 1.8 to 10.4kg. Raccoons are capable of acheiving body masses made up of 50% body fat, but it is mostly raccoons in the northern parts of the range that become this fat. Males are usually heavier than females by 10 to 30%. Body length ranges from 603 to 950 mm. Their tails comprise about 42% to 52% of their length, from 192 to 405 mm.

Special Adaptations: Raccoons are extremely adaptable, being found in many kinds of habitats and easily living near humans. They require ready access to water. Raccoons prefer to live in moist woodland areas. However, they can also be found in farmlands, suburban, and urban areas. Raccoons prefer to build dens in trees, but may also use woodchuck burrows, caves, mines, deserted buildings, barns, garages, rain sewers, or houses. Raccoons can live in a wide variety of habitats from warm, tropical areas to cold grasslands.

Shrub Carr Ecosystem-Softleaf Arrowwood


Softleaf Arrowwood

Order: Dipsacales

Family: Caprifoliaceae

Genus: Viburnum L.

Species: V. molle Michx.

General Characteristics: V. molle is recognized by its ovate to nearly orbicular leaves, densely soft pubescent beneath, with minutely red-glandular petioles and filiform stipules. The leaf venation ofV. molle is nearly palmate, while the leaf venation of the V. dentatum complex is definitely pinnate.

Special Adaptations: The shoots were used by Native people for making arrow shafts.

Shrub Carr Ecosystem-Longhair Sedge


Longhair Sedge

Order: Cyperales

Family: Cyperaceae

Genus: Carex

Species: C. comosa

General Chracteristics: This Carex is recognized by the male and female flowers in separate spikes, the perigynia less than 1/2 inch long and with a prominent beak with 2 teeth, and the lowermost perigynia in a spike pointing downward.

It is found in swamps and around lakes. Its stems are erect, smooth, and up to 5 feet tall. The leaves are long, narrow, rough along the edges, and up to 1/3 inch broad.

The flowers are in spikelets, each flower subtended by a scale; the male flowers in separate spikes from the female flowers, only 1 male spike per stem, long and slender; the female spikes usually 2-6 per stem, up to 3 inches long, up to 1/3 inch across, on slender stalks that droop at maturity.

Special Adaptations: The fruits are eaten by waterfowl.

Shrub Carr Ecosystem-Bitter Nightshade


Bitter Nightshade

Order: Solanales

Family: Sloanaceae

Genus: Solanum

Species: S. dulcamara

General Characteristics: Bitter nightshade has a climbing, somewhat woody, branched stem about 2 to 8 feet long. The leaves are from 2 to 4 inches long, some entire and others having one to three lobes at the base. The purplish flowers, which resemble those of the potato, are produced from about May to September in compound clusters. The berries, which ripen in autumn, are oval, red, juicy, and contain numerous seeds. The plant has a handsome appearance in autumn with its colored berries, and is often planted as an ornamental.

Special Adaptations: Bitter Nightshade is most commonly found in disturbed habitats such as fields, empty lots, thickets, and along roadsides. Bitter nightshade contains an extremely toxic glycoalkaloid, solanine. Solanine is found in the leaves and is highly concentrated in the unripe berries. Children have been poisoned after eating the attractive berries. Symptoms of nightshade poisoning include salivation, headache, stomach pain, drowsiness, trembling, lowered temperature, dilated pupils, vomiting, diarrhea, progressive weakness, prostration, and death.

Shrub Carr Ecosystem-Soft Rush


Soft Rush

Order: Poales

Family: Juncacae

Genus: Juncus

Species: J. effuses

General Characteristics: Soft rush is a perennial wetland plant that grows in a clump or tussock and spreads by vigorous underground rhizomes. The bright green stems (there are no leaves) are cylindrical, without nodes, rather soft, and taper to a bristle. They are smooth or slightly striated. The clump is erect or slightly arching and usually stands a little less than 3 ft (0.9 m) tall. The flowers and fruits are borne in compact clusters that appear to emerge laterally a few inches below the tip of the flowering stem. Actually, the inflorescence emerges from the tip of the stem but a bract extends beyond and looks like a continuation of the stem.

Special Adaptations: Soft rush normally grows in areas that are periodically flooded. It grows best in such situations to be sure, but it also can withstand periods of drying out, and it can tolerate continued submergence in up to 3 in (7.6 cm) of water.

Shrub Carr Ecosystem-Black-capped Chickadee


Black-capped Chickadee

Order: Passeriformes

Family: Paridae

Genus: Poecile

Species: P. atricapillus

General Characteristics: The cap and bib are black, the cheeks white, the back soft gray, the wing feathers gray edged with white, and the underparts soft buffy on the sides grading to white beneath. The cap extends down just beyond the black eyes, making the small eyes tricky to see.

Special Adaptations: Even when temperatures are far below zero, chickadees virtually always sleep in their own individual cavities. In rotten wood, they can excavate nesting and roosting holes entirely on their own.

Shrub Carr Ecosystem-Eastern Wood-pewee


Eastern Wood-pewee

Order: Passeriformes

Family: Tyrannidae

Genus: Contopus

Species: C. virens

General Characteristics: A medium-sized flycatcher; dull grayish olive nearly throughout, with a dusky "vested" appearance below, two pale wing-bars. Compared with similar, dull flycatchers, the wood-pewee lacks a black cap or conspicuous eye-ring, has longer, more pointed wings, and shows dark markings on the undertail coverts (diagnostic).

Special Adaptations: In a forest where several flycatcher species are found, the Eastern Wood-Pewee forages higher in the trees than the Least and Acadian flycatchers, but lower down than the Great Crested Flycatcher.

Shrub Carr Ecosystem-Cardinal Flower


Cardinal Flower

Order: Campanulales

Family: Campanulaceae

Genus: Lobelia L.

Species: L. cardinalis L.

General Characteristics: Cardinal flower is a short-lived herbaceous perennial that grows in clumps usually 1-3' tall and a foot or less in diameter. The stems and leaves have a purplish tint and no wildflower is brighter red. Cardinal flower spends the winter as a basal rosette of 5-7" elliptic leaves flat on the ground. In spring it sends up one or more unbranched (sometimes branched) stems with smaller leaves. By mid-summer each stem develops a terminal raceme a foot or so long of brilliant scarlet-red flowers, each about 1-2" long. The flowers are tubular and bilaterally symmetrical with two lips. The upper lip has two more or less erect lobes, and the lower lip has three lobes that are spread out horizontally or dip downward. Flowers continue to develop at the tip of the lengthening raceme until frost.

Special Adaptation: Cardinal flower is pollinated by the ruby-throated hummingbird. They are attracted to it in droves.

Shrub Carr Ecosystem-Question Mark Butterfly


Question Mark Butterfly

Order: Lepidoptera

Family: Nymphalidae

Genus: Polygonia

Species: P. interrogationis

General Characteristics: Question mark butterflies (Polygonia interrogationis) get their name from their wings. The forewings of question mark butterflies are hooked. The upperside of the 2.25 -3 inch wings are red-orange with black spots. The color of the top of the hindwing can change. In the summer, it is mostly black with a short tail. The winter form has a lot of orange and a longer, violet-tipped tail. The underside is light brown; the hindwings have a pearly-white question mark in the center, giving the butterfly its name.

Special Adaptations: Males find females by perching on leaves or tree trunks in the afternoon, flying to chase other insects and even birds. Females lay eggs singly or stacked under leaves of plants that are usually not the hosts. Caterpillars must find a host plant; they then eat leaves and live alone. Adults of the winter form hibernate; some staying in the north, many migrating to the south.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Swamp Ecosystem-Striped Chorus Frog

Striped Chorus Frog

Order: Anura

Family: Hylidae

Genus: Pseudacris

Species: P. triseriata

General Characteristics: The frog is small (up to 4 cm SVL) gray, tan, or with black stripes. The belly is cream with scattered dark flecks. The miiddle section of leg (tibia) less than 47% as long as SVL. The male smaller than female, and has a dark vocal pouch during breeding season. It’s found in almost any type of wet habitat, including agricultural fields and urban settings, such as city parks, as long as vernal breeding pools are available. It breeds in ditches, flooded fields, floodplain depressions, even in wet areas along the busiest highways. Seldom seen outside the spring breeding season, so non-breeding habitat is poorly known. Diet consists of small arthropods. The c all is similar to sound produced by running finger down teeth of comb, very similar to call of upland chorus frog. Eggs are laid in small packets attached to sticks and leaf petioles.

Special Adaptations: Pseudacris triseriata is also an environmental marker, because behavior changes as well as color change may indicate a certain level of pollution.

Swamp Ecosystem-Dryad's Saddle Fungus

Dryad’s Saddle Fungus

Order: Polyporales

Family: Polyporaceae

Genus: Polyporus

Species: P. squamosus

General Characteristics: This mushroom is saprobic on decaying hardwood logs and stumps and parasitic on living hardwoods causing a white heartrot; growing alone or, more typically, in clusters of two or three; typically found in spring, but also sometimes found in summer and fall. The fruiting body is 5-30 cm broad, up to 4 cm thick; variable in shape but generally fan-shaped or almost funnel shaped; pale tan to creamy yellowish (often darkening in age), with an overlay of darker, brownish scales with a substantial and tough lateral stem that blackens as the mushroom matures, at least towards the base. The pores are large, angular, and frequently irregular; whitish to cream; pore surface not bruising or discoloring. The flesh is thick; soft when young but soon corky and tough, especially towards the stem; white.

Special Adaptations: It plays an important role in woodland ecosystems by decomposing wood, usually elm, but is occasionally a parasite on living trees. Other tree hosts include ash, beech, horse chestnut, lime, maple, poplar, and willow.

Swamp Ecosystem-Jewelweed

Jewelweed

Order: Lamiales

Family: Oleaceae

Genus: Impatiens

Species: I. capensis

General Characteristics: This native plant is a summer annual that becomes 2-5' tall, branching occasionally. The round stems are glabrous and succulent, pale green to pale reddish green, and somewhat translucent. They are rather fragile and break easily. The alternate leaves are up to 5" long and 2½" across, although they are usually about half this size. The leaves are ovate, thin-textured, and hairless. There are low broad teeth along their margins. While the stems are often shiny, the leaves have a dull upper surface. The slender petioles are up to 2" long and usually shorter than the blades of the leaves.

Special Adaptations: Jewelweed also holds an element of surprise inside its tiny seedpods that form in late summer. The edible seeds inside are held under great pressure until slightly touched by animal or human. Then, the seeds are launched into the air up to five feet away from the plant. Try cupping your hands around a seedpod until it bursts and enjoy the seeds for a tasty treat.

Swamp Ecosystem-Black Ash

Black Ash

Order: Lamiales

Family: Oleaceae

Genus: Fraxinus

Species: F. nigra

General Characteristics: Fraxinus nigra is largely restricted to swamps. The sessile leaflets (no stalks) are characteristic and the tips of the leaflets tend to droop. If branches have good annual growth in length, the last pair of lateral buds tend to be clearly separated from the terminal bud. The bark of trees over about 3 inches in diameter is also often distinctive, although difficult to describe.

Special Adaptations: Black ash typically grows in bogs, along streams, or in poorly drained areas that often are seasonally flooded. It is most common on peat and muck soils but also grows on fine sands underlain by sandy till or on sands and loams underlain by lake-washed clayey till. Although this species can tolerate semistagnant conditions, for best growth it is important that the water be moving so the soil will be aerated even though saturated. Soils suitable for black ash are common in Canada and the northern States. In Indiana, such soils are most common in glaciated areas and in the White River Valley, but in Pennsylvania, they most frequently occur south of the glaciated areas. These soils are most commonly found in the orders Histosols and Entisols. Black ash is tolerant of a wide range of pH conditions, from 4.4 to 8.2.

Swamp Ecosystem-Acadian Flycatcher

Acadian Flycatcher

Order: Passeriformes

Family: Tyrannidae

Genus: Empidonax

Species: E. virescens

General Characteristics: A denizen of mature deciduous forests and streamsides, the Acadian Flycatcher is usually first noticed by its explosive "peet-sah" call. It is the largest and greenest of the North American Empidonax. The Empidonax flycatchers are very difficult to tell apart. The safest way to differentiate them is by habitat, range, and voice in the breeding season. Differences in plumage due to molt, wear and age make the plumage quite variable. A combination of features is helpful for identifying this species: size-it is larger than Yellow-bellied and Least, color-it has greener upperparts and yellower underparts than all but the Yellow-bellied. The Yellow-bellied flycatcher is usually more yellow underneath-especially on the throat, is smaller and more active, and has a smaller bill. Alder and Willow are browner above and whiter below with less obvious eye rings. Least is smaller, grayer above and whiter below and has a smaller bill. Empidonax flycatchers from the western United States have darker lower mandibles, and whiter underparts (Gray and Dusky), darker breasts (Hammond's), or oval eye rings (Pacific Slope and Cordilleran) as well as different ranges. Pewees are larger, browner above, whiter below and have indistinct eye rings.

Special Adaptations: The Acadian Flycatcher is a common host to the brood-parasitic Brown-headed Cowbird, which lays its eggs in other birds' nests. Nests are parasitized more in small woodlots than in large tracts of forest. The frequency of parasitism is lower for the flycatcher than for other bird species in the same forests. From the cowbird's perspective the Acadian Flycatcher does not seem to be a particularly good host: only 16% of cowbird young in Acadian Flycatcher nests fledged successfully.

Swamp Ecosystem-Wood Frog

Wood Frog

Order: Anura

Family: Ranidae

Genus: Rana

Species: R. sylvatica

General Characteristics: The Wood Frog is a common frog found near water, or far from water, in the woods. It grows to about three inches long. Its color ranges from pinkish-brown to tan to dark brown. The Wood Frog is easily recognized by it’s "robber mask." This black band stretches past both eyes to the eardrums. Wood Frogs also have dorsolateral ridges, two raised lines running down their back. This frog has a white belly. Because Wood Frogs spend a lot of time on land, the toes on their front legs are not fully webbed. You can tell males from females by their swollen thumbs. Wood Frogs are one of the first frogs to breed in early Spring. Their calls, which sound like a "quack," can be heard around water that's near woods. After breeding, these frogs leave the water to go off into the woods. They will return the following spring.

Special Adaptations: Wood Frogs all mate in the same area, so all the eggs are next to each other making a large "egg matt" on the surface of the water. This matt will grow algae on it, and soon be disguised as pond slime.

Swamp Ecosystem-Turkey Tail

Turkey Tail

Order: Polyporales

Family: Polyporaceae

Genus: Trametes

Species: T. versicolor

General Characteristics: The interior surface of each pore bears spores, and this arrangement allows for a very large spore-bearing surface area, which is equally effective at deploying vast numbers of spores as the gills found in many more familiar mushrooms. Turkey tail fruiting bodies are thin and pliable when fresh. The pores on the white or cream-colored undersides are fairly easy see. The upper surface, in addition to being nicely colored, is velvety. There is a somewhat similarly shaped banded fungus, Stereum ostrea, the false turkey tail, but its undersurface has no pores and it has a tougher, more leathery texture.

Special Adaptations: Turkey tails, on the other hand, are consummate generalists; they are found on more than 70 genera of hardwoods in the U.S. and occasionally attack conifers as well. The dead sapwood of most tree species has relatively little resistance to decay organisms, and turkey tails take advantage of this throughout the temperate zones of the world. Most of the time, the turkey tail decomposes dead wood, using enzymes to deconstruct cell walls.

Swamp Ecosystem-Swamp Smartweed

Swamp Smartweed

Order: Caryophyllales

Family: Polygonaceae

Genus: Polygonum

Species: P. hydropiperoides

General Characteristics: Swamp Smartweed is a member of the buckwheat family (family Polygonaceae) which includes mostly herbs, sometimes shrubs or vines, rarely trees, with small flowers in racemes, spike-like clusters, or in heads. Stems commonly have swollen nodes. (The family name refers to this, deriving from Greek words meaning many knees.) There are about 40 genera and 800 species, chiefly in north temperate regions. Rhubarb and Buckwheat are sources of food, and a few species are grown as ornamentals. The plant is an erect to sprawling, perennial, up to 40" tall forb; stems with nodes always hairy; from rhizomes. The flower is white-green to pink, petals and petal-like sepals connected at the base; inflorescence thin, erect clusters often interrupted toward the base on usually hairy stalks jointed at the top. The leaf is alternate, lance-like to linear, mostly less than 1 1/2" wide

Special Adaptations: It can live in wet beaches, marshes, and shallows.