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| A Damselfly. And before you ask, no, it is not in distress. |
"Charismatic" refers to some quality that grabs your attention and might induce you to sympathize or identify with that species. Peacocks and Parrots are charismatic while House Sparrows are not. Flying Fish and Sword Fish are charismatic while bullheads and Quillback Carpsuckers are not.
This is not any kind of science. It is a simple survey. Feel free to ask your spouse or grandkids for their opinions. The more the merrier.
In your opinion, what are the four most charismatic Mammals that are natives of the Eastern US? Please rank-order them (one, two, three, four).
- Otter (added per suggestion in comments)
- Black Bear
- Wolf
- Red Fox 2
- Beaver
- Raccoon
- Flying Squirrel
- Seal
- Dolphin
- Mountain Lion/Bobcat (added per suggestion in comments)
- Other (list)
Rate the four most charismatic Birds
- Cardinal
- Hummingbird
- Oriole
- Bald Eagle 2
- Kestrel
- Owl (any species) 2
- Wild Turkey
Ringneck Pheasant(Removed due to not being native species as pointed out in comments)- Woodpecker (any species)
- Wood Duck
- Heron or Crane
- Goldfinch
- Other (list)
Rate the four most charismatic cold-blooded animals
- Alligator
- Box Turtle 2
- Rattlesnake
- Tree Frogs
- Sturgeon
- Brook Trout
- Sunfish
- Dragon Flies
- Damselflies
- Large and colorful butterflies and/or moths
- Honeybees 2
- Cicada
- Other (list)
I am sure I left something obvious off the lists.
Otters for the win…
ReplyDeletePut the acid in the water the way you really otter.
ReplyDeleteWait a minute. What kind of ACID was that?
Thanks for the suggestion!
Mammals: Red Fox, Otter, Beaver, Cat
ReplyDeleteBirds: Bald Eagle, Hummingbird, Owl, Cardinal
Critters: Bees, Rattlesnake, Frog, Turtle
Going mainly from memory of T-shirts I have seen lately.
Tough one for me to choose.
ReplyDeleteMammal: red fox, raccoon, flying squirrel, donkey.
Birds: owls. Love the barred ones we have here. Bald eagle. Hummingbird. Pileated woodpecker.
Others: honeybees I guess. Maybe wood turtle or box turtle. No attraction or liking for other bugs or reptiles.
Southern NH
Sorry Joe,but the pheasant is a native of China/Korea. It was imported by hunters in the late 1800s-early 1900s
ReplyDeleteDennis the librarian shusher
"Shhh!!! Humans aren't native to North America either."
DeleteNeither are honeybees.
DeleteThank-you for the feedback.
ReplyDeleteAt this point, this is a mental exercise. Long-term, I am interested in figuring out ways to increase youth "engagement" with the outdoors. First you dig the worms. Then you rig the fishing pole. Finally, you thread the worm on the hook.
One of the challenges is that most "charismatic" animals are nocturnal or active at dawn-dusk which limits their accessibility. One solution would be trailcams with IR capability capturing video and uploading to a website. That is a real option for fox dens and nesting boxes for owls.
Other animals are primarily "summertime" so working through schools isn't going to get much traction. So what if a school is swarming with beautiful butterflies if the kids are at home watching Netflix?
Thinking as I am talking, maybe feeding stations for migrating birds located near schools? That hits a good time of day and of year.
Feeding stations are a great idea. I know we get a kick out of ours, although truth be told, wish we could keep the Mourning Doves off of it. We have plenty of Cardinals, as well as Chickadees, Nuthatches and Sparrows.
DeleteWe also have a suet cage for the birds. We get (3) different species of Woodpeckers that hit those; the Red Bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker and the Red Cockaded Woodpecker. Every once in a while, a Red Headed Woodpecker will show up, and we also have the Pileated Woodpecker, but they don't hit the feeder or the suet block.
Fox squirrels. Not many seen in my area anymore, but they get peoples attention.
ReplyDelete