We’ve all heard the saying, “April showers bring May flowers,” but at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, we like to say, “listed flowers are the prettiest.” Here’s a few threatened and endangered flowers in California and Nevada that we think prove our point.
Kenwood Marsh Checkermallow
If you only wear pink on Wednesdays, you can’t be in the Kenwood Marsh checkermallow’s club. This flower wears pink every day. Sporting a cone-shaped grouping of tiny, hot pink flowers, this rare beauty (also known as the Kenwood Marsh checkerbloom) is endangered and only found in two locations — Kenwood Marsh and Knight’s Valley —…
The Attwater’s prairie-chicken is bouncing back.
After decades of protection and conservation efforts, Texas’ critically endangered Attwater’s prairie-chicken population is at its highest since 1993. Officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy in Texas estimate the current population is at least 178 birds, with 89 males counted during the 2021 spring survey at the Service’s Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge and on private ranch lands participating in grassland management activities as part of the Conservancy’s Refugio-Goliad Prairie Project.
While populations remain at extreme risk, this year’s count demonstrates a remarkable turnaround from near extinction in the wild just a few…
Texas is home to the only three species of troglobitic, or cave-dwelling, catfish in the United States: the widemouth blindcat (Satan eurystomus), the toothless blindcat (Trogloglanis pattersoni), and the Mexican blindcat (Prietella phreatophila).
In the absence of light, underground cave-dwelling species develop unique, dare we say “weird looking” adaptations to survive. But don’t judge them too harshly — beauty serves no purpose for creatures that live in total darkness.
One of their most notable adaptations is the lack of eyes. Since they swim around in the dark, they instead find food using taste, smell, heat, flow, and touch.
Since they…
California has once again welcomed tiny and graceful visitors to beaches, estuaries, river mouths and lagoons. The federally endangered California least tern (Sterna antillarum browni), the smallest of the tern species, returns to California — from the bay to the border — each year during the first or second week of April to feast, rest, and nest.
Least terns hover over the surf zone or shallow estuarine waters and can be seen plunging into the water from 10–30 feet to capture small, slender-bodied fish like anchovies and topsmelt. …
Wildlife species that deserve your love and attention.
When you think of wildlife, what species come to mind and gets you excited about our natural world? It could be the symbolic bald eagle, revered bison, or iconic wolf. There are probably many charismatic species you’ve come to know and love, but we want to introduce you to some less popular wildlife that also deserve some hype.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works to conserve, protect, and enhance countless wildlife species, and every single one of them contributes to biodiversity. …
She gets this question a lot:
What are those bubbles around the manatee?
Ever the professional, Monica Scroggin answers with a straight face.
Farts. Manatee farts.
And this: They’re pretty strong.
When you’re the head of visitors’ services at Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, you learn all about manatees — their behavior, their travels and, yes, their flatulence. You want to know something about Trichechus manatus latirostris, ask Scroggin.
Milk-vetches are part of the largest group of plants in the world known as Astragalus and consists of about 3,000 identified species. This group is part of the legume family, which includes peas. In California, Nevada and the Klamath Basin, some of these milk-vetches grow in habitats that are incredibly inhospitable to most plants. Let’s meet a few of these tough and resilient beauties.
Coachella Valley milk-vetch
Astragalus lentiginosus var. coachellae
Historically, women have faced many challenges in STEM fields, but have persevered and paved the way for future generations. Louella Cable, Rachel Carson and others less well-known paved the way for women in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), and their legacy continues to inspire women in the Service today.
Despite the accomplishments of these pioneering women, studies suggest women continue to face a number of structural and cultural challenges in their pursuit of reaching their career heights in STEM. For example, as women outperform men in both physical and life science undergraduate courses, men continue to be perceived…
Hibernation season. Soup season. Winter. Whatever you might call it, this is the time of year when you might sit on the edge of your seats with skis or snowshoes in hand ready for the first snowfall of the year. Others might live where winter doesn’t really exist (…we’re looking at you, Florida.) Whether it’s snowshoeing, ice fishing, or hiking, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuges and National Fish Hatcheries are special places to enjoy the winter season.
National Wildlife Refuges and National Fish Hatcheries offer many different winter recreational activities, and they are home to many wildlife…
How Conservation Helps Fill in the Gaps of History
In October 2020, after years of negotiations, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service partnered with The Conservation Fund to acquire an additional 2,691 acres of forested wetlands to be added to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. The parcel will provide essential habitat for migrating shorebirds, waterfowl, and other native species. Wildlife aren’t the only ones, however, that benefit from the riches of these lands. Beneath the soil there are deep historic roots that may help us piece together previously untold stories.
For years, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge has worked alongside the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and Harriet Tubman Underground…
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
We’re dedicated to the conservation, protection and enhancement of fish, wildlife and plants, and their habitats.
