Every bird watcher and nature observer has his or her "lists." Here are mine for Birds, Insects, Mammals, Plants, Reptiles, and Crustaceans, complete with pull down menus.
BIRDS
Categorized by genus/species, placed chronologically by common name
American Coot
American Crow
American Goldfinch
American Kestrel
American Robin
American Tree Sparrow
American White Pelican
Bald Eagle
Baltimore Oriole
Barn Swallow
Belted Kingfisher
Black-Capped Chickadee
Black Vulture*
Blue Jay
Blue-Winged Teal
Bobwhite
Brown-Headed Cowbird
Brown Thrasher
Bufflehead
Canada Goose
Canvasback
Cedar Waxwing
Chipping Sparrow
Common Grackle
Common Goldeneye
Common Redpoll
Cooper's Hawk
Dark-Eyed Junco
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Goldfinch - See American Goldfinch
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Towhee
Eurasian Coot*
European Starling
Fox Sparrow
Gray Catbird
Graylag Goose
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Hairy Woodpecker
Harlequin Duck
Hermit Thrush
Herring Gull
Horned Lark
House Finch
House Sparrow
House Wren
Indigo Bunting
Killdeer
Lesser Scaup
Lincoln's Sparrow
Mallard (Domestic)
Mallard (Wild)
Mourning Dove
Northern Cardinal
Northern Flicker
Northern Rough-Winged Swallow
Northern Shoveler
Orange-Crowned Warbler
Palm Warbler
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
Red-Headed Woodpecker
Red-Tailed Hawk
Red-Winged Blackbird
Ring-Billed Gull
Ring-Necked Duck
Rock Pigeon
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Scarlet Tanager
Solitary Sandpiper
Song Sparrow
Spotted Sandpiper
Swamp Sparrow
Tufted Titmouse
Turkey Vulture
White-Breasted Nuthatch
White-Crowned Sparrow
White-Throated Sparrow
Wild Turkey
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
INSECTS, ARACHNIDS, MYRIAPODS & GASTROPODS
Categorized by family, placed chronologically by common name
I’ll admit, I am unable to identify this mantis from the photos. It is either the Carolina Mantis - Stagmomantis carolina, the Chinese Mantis - Tenodera aridifolia sinensis, or the European Mantis - Mantis religiosa.
Commonly called the Praying Mantis.
According to Iowa State University, only the Carolina and Chinese Mantids are found in Iowa, mostly in the Southeastern part of the State. But an entomologist told me it looked like a European or Chinese mantis, probably a Chinese Mantis. Whichever species, this one is probably a juvenile as it was not more than 1 - 1 1/2 inches long.
Mantids prey on other insects, but not in great enough numbers that they can be considered pest-reducers (plus, they eat each other and other beneficial insects). They are not considered pests themselves, unless you consider the non-native European and Chinese mantids as “pests” when they ambush and eat native mantids (like the Carolina Mantis) and native insects (like butterflies and bees).
Photo taken with the Canon Digital Rebel XT / 350D and a Sigma 70-300mm Lens on July 4, 2008, in Davenport, Iowa.
It is cool that you found a Mantis. I caught one at my school last year and all the other kids were excited.
Please let me know if you find out which one it was.
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:01 am
3
John Says:
Hello there,
I live in Shenandoah iowa and around 3 weeks ago, i saw this Praying mantis at an all night gas station that was almost a foot long!! I was wandering what type of mantis can get this big? Please if anyone knows anything please email me at johnnybefaith@yahoo.com
Thankyou and have a good day, John
October 14th, 2008 at 3:17 am
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This blog is about: Iowa, Illinois, Midwest, United States, nature, wildlife, animals, birds, ornithology, insects, bugs, entomology, Davenport, Bettendorf, Rock Island, Moline, Quad, City, Cities
Nice shots, Moe. Getting an ID on younguns is often extremely difficult to totally impossible.
July 22nd, 2008 at 1:35 amIt is cool that you found a Mantis. I caught one at my school last year and all the other kids were excited.
Please let me know if you find out which one it was.
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:01 amHello there,
October 14th, 2008 at 3:17 amI live in Shenandoah iowa and around 3 weeks ago, i saw this Praying mantis at an all night gas station that was almost a foot long!! I was wandering what type of mantis can get this big? Please if anyone knows anything please email me at johnnybefaith@yahoo.com
Thankyou and have a good day, John