~The Natural State~......OKLAHOMA

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State Animal

American Bison
Bison bison


Description
The largest terrestrial animal in North America. Dark brown, with shaggy mane and beard. Long tail with tuft at tip. Broad, massive head; humped shoulders; short legs clothed with shaggy hair; large hooves. Both sexes have short black horns with pointed tips that protrude from the top of the head, above and behind the eyes, curving outward, then in. Horn spread to 3’ (90 cm). Juvenile reddish brown; acquires adult coloration at 2–3 months of age. Ht male to 6’ (1.8 m), female to 5’ (1.5 m); L male 10’–12’6” (3–3.8 m), female 7–8’ (2.1–2.4 m); T male 17–19” (43–48 cm), female 12–18” (30–45 cm); HF 20–26” (51–66 cm); Wt male 991–2,000 lb (450–900 kg), female 793–1,013 lb (360–460 kg).
Breeding Varies, but most often June–September; 1 (occasionally 2) young born after gestation of 9–9 1/2 months.
Habitat Varied; primarily plains, prairies, and river valleys; sometimes forests.
Range Historically ranged from s Northwest Territories to nw Mexico, Texas, and Mississippi, and east to sw New York, South Carolina, and Georgia. Now large, free-ranging herds only at Wood Buffalo National Park, Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary, and Slave River Lowlands in Northwest Territories, Canada, and in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Small free-ranging herds in Alaska, ne British Columbia, nw Saskatchewan, and Northwest Territories. Many smaller herds in fenced areas.
Discussion The American Bison is most active in early morning and late afternoon, but sometimes also on moonlit nights. In the midday heat, it rests, chewing its cud or dust-bathing. This animal commonly rubs its horns on trees, thrashes saplings, and wallows in the dirt. A good swimmer, it is so buoyant that head, hump, and tail remain above water. American Bison will stampede if frightened, galloping at speeds up to 32 mph (50 km/h). Formerly undertaking annual migrations of 200 miles (320 km) or more between winter and summer ranges, some bison in Canada still travel up to 150 miles (240 km) between wooded hills and valleys. The American Bison feeds on many grasses, sedges, and forbs, and sometimes on berries, lichens, and horsetails; in winter, it clears snow from vegetation with its hooves and head. Vocalizations include the bull’s bellow during rutting, the cow’s snort, and the calf’s bawl.Usually between 4 and 20 bison herd together, with sexes separate except during breeding season, when the herds combine and increase greatly in size; occasionally such herds gather into bands of several thousand. There are three kinds of bison groups: matriarchal (cows, calves, yearlings, and sometimes a few bulls), bull (though some bulls are solitary), and breeding (a combination of matriarchal and bull groups). A matriarchal group is relatively stable and often ranges from about 11 to 20 individuals. A bull group is smaller, and the male bison seems to become more solitary with age. The time and length of the rut varies. The bull enters the matriarchal herd and checks for estrous females. He then displays flehmen and tending behavior. Flehmen consists of curling the lip back and extending the neck; it lasts for several seconds and is thought to enhance the sense of smell. The male “tends” a female by remaining between her and the herd in an attempt to keep the cow isolated. Tending can last from several seconds to several days, and may or may not end in copulation. A female will not always tolerate tending; thus she has a choice of mate. Copulation may be preceded by mutual licking and butting. The male threatens and battles other contenders in his attempt to tend and mate with a cow. Threats usually ward off fights, but if a rival male perseveres, fighting may ensue, involving butting, horn-locking, shoving, and hooking. When butting, males walk to within 20 feet (6 m) of each other, lower their heads, raise their tails, and charge. Their massive foreheads, including much hair but not the horns, collide without apparent injury; they charge repeatedly until one animal gives up. Hooking can be very dangerous, often resulting in injury or death; it consists of using the horns to gore the opponent in the side or belly. During the 24-hour period that a cow is in heat, a bull may mate with her repeatedly. The reddish newborn stands to nurse in 30 minutes, walks within hours, and in one or two days joins the herd with its mother. At two months, hump and horns start to develop. Most young are weaned by late summer; some nurse up to seven months.Life span in the wild averages 25 years. In the 15th century, millions of American Bison grazed from the Atlantic Ocean almost to the Pacific and from Mexico and Florida into Canada. Probably no other animal has been as central to a people’s way of life as was the bison to the Native American, who ate its meat, used the skins for clothing and shelter, fashioned thread and rope from sinew, made glue and tools from the hooves and bones, and burned the droppings as fuel. Although Native Americans occasionally killed more bison than they could use, stampeding thousands over cliffs, they had no significant effect on bison populations. The destruction of the American Bison began about 1830, when U.S. government policy advocated the animal’s extermination in order to subdue hostile tribes through starvation, equating bison carcasses with “discouraged Indians.” Railroad construction crews often subsisted on bison meat, as did some army posts, and the railroad provided a means of shipping hides to eastern markets. Ultimately millions of pounds of bison bones were ground into fertilizer or used for the manufacture of bone china. By 1900, fewer than 1,000 American Bison remained, and a crusade of rescue and restoration was begun. Estimates of the number of bison in North America before European settlers arrived range from 30 to 70 million. Today more than 65,000 bison roam U.S. and Canadian national parks and ranges, and privately owned rangelands; few are wild and free-ranging.

 

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State Amphibian

American Bullfrog
Rana catesbeiana


Description 3 1/2-8" (9-20.3 cm). The largest frog in North America. Green to yellow above with random mottling of darker gray. Large external eardrum; hind feet fully webbed except for last joint of longest toe. No dorsolateral ridges. Belly cream to white, may be mottled with gray.
Voice Deep-pitched jug o'rum call can be heard for more than a quarter mile on quiet mornings.
Breeding Northern areas, May to July; southern, February to October. Egg masses are attached to submerged vegetation. Tadpoles are large, 4-6 3/4" (10.2-17.2 cm), olive-green, and may take almost 2 years to transform.
Habitat Aquatic. Prefers ponds, lakes, and slow-moving streams large enough to avoid crowding and with sufficient vegetation to provide easy cover.
Range Eastern and central United States; also New Brunswick and parts of Nova Scotia. Extensively introduced in the West.
Discussion Nocturnal. Less aquatic than the Pig Frog, it is usually found on the bank at water's edge. When frightened, it will as soon flee into nearby vegetation as take to the water. Large specimens have been known to catch and swallow small birds and young snakes; its usual diet includes insects, crayfish, other frogs, and minnows. Attempts to commercially harvest frogs' legs have prompted many introductions of the American Bullfrog outside its natural range.

 

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State Butterfly

Black Swallowtail
Papilio polyxenes


Description
2 5/8-3 1/2" (67-89 mm). Black to blue-black above with blue cloud on outer HW (more blue on female). Small cream-yellow spots and chevrons rim wings above and below (larger on male). Bright orange eyespot with round, black-centered pupil at corner of HW toward body. Sometimes band of yellow spots across outer third of wings inside row of blue patches, more commonly present or enlarged on male. No yellow stripes on thorax.
Similar Species
Western Black Swallowtail has yellow bars along thorax and irregular off-center pupil in eyespot. Short-tailed Swallowtail and Short-tailed Black Swallowtail have stubby tails; Short-tailed Swallowtail also has orange in bands of dorsal spots. Spicebush Swallowtail has 2 orange spots on HW above. Pipevine Swallowtail has no orange spots on HW above.
Life Cycle
Egg yellow. Mature caterpillar, to 2" (51 mm), white to leaf-green with black bands on each segment broken by yellow or red-orange spots. Chrysalis woodlike brown or leaf-green; overwinters. Host plants are Queen Anne's lace (Daucus carota) and other members of carrot family (Apiaceae), as well as some members of the citrus family (Rutaceae), including rue (Ruta graveolens) and Texas turpentine broom (Thamnosma texana).
Flight
2 or 3 broods; February-November, depending on latitude. Late spring, midsummer, and early autumn flights in mid-continent.
Habitat
Open spaces including gardens, farmland, meadows, and banks of watercourses; seldom in woodlands.
Range
S. Canada along E. Rockies into Arizona and Mexico, and east to Atlantic.
Discussion
Eastern Black Swallowtails may be attracted to gardens by parsley or carrot plants, and nectar sources such as phlox and milkweed. Less blue and less rapid than the Pipevine Swallowtail, the Eastern Black likes to flit among the vegetation, drifting and stalling again and again, until disturbed; then it takes off in a direct line, making it most difficult to pursue. A similar-looking species of the Missouri Ozarks, known as the Ozark Swallowtail (Papilio joanae) has dramatically different habits. It dwells in forests, where caterpillars feed on meadow parsnip (Heracleum). Another related black swallowtail, the Kahli Swallowtail (Papilio kahli), flies in Manitoba and Saskatchewan and may be a hybrid of the Old World Swallowtail. It frequents bare hilltops, where females lay their eggs on cow parsnip (Heracleum lanatum).

 

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State Bird

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Tyrannus forficatus


Description 14" (36 cm). Adult has bright salmon-pink sides and belly; pale grayish-white head, upper back, and breast. More than half its length is the very long and deeply forked black and white tail. Young birds similar, but have shorter tail and lack bright pink on sides and belly.
Voice A harsh kee-kee-kee-kee. Also chattering notes like those of Eastern Kingbird.
Habitat Open country along roadsides and on ranches with scattered trees and bushes; also fence wires and posts.
Nesting 5 creamy, brown-spotted eggs in a bulky stick nest lined with soft fibrous material and placed in an isolated tree.
Range Breeds from eastern Colorado and Nebraska south to Texas and western Louisiana. Winters south of U.S.-Mexico border; a few in southern Florida.
Discussion The Scissor-tail is often seen perching on a telephone wire with its extraordinarily long tail held out in a horizontal position. Like a kingbird, it erects its crest, emits harsh cries, and fiercely attacks hawks, crows, or other large birds that invade its nest area. In spring, they put on a wonderful aerial courtship display. With their long scissor-like tail, they can maneuver and "sky-dance" gracefully. Nearly all of their food is captured on the wing; included in their diet are many insects harmful to agriculture.

 

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State Insect

Honey Bee
Apis mellifera
Description Male drone 5/8" (15-17 mm); queen 3/4" (18-20 mm); sterile female worker 3/8-5/8" (10-15 mm). Drone more robust with largest compound eyes; queen elongate with smallest compound eyes and larger abdomen; worker smallest. All mostly reddish brown and black with paler, usually orange-yellow rings on abdomen. Head, antennae, legs almost black with short, pale erect hair densest on thorax, least on abdomen. Wings translucent. Pollen basket on hind tibia.
Food Adult drinks nectar and eats honey. Larva feeds on honey and royal jelly, a white paste secreted by workers.
Life Cycle Complex social behavior centers on maintaining queen for full lifespan, usually 2 or 3 years, sometimes up to 5. Queen lays eggs at intervals, producing a colony of 60,000-80,000 workers, which collect, produce, and distribute honey and maintain hive. Workers feed royal jelly to queen continuously and to all larvae for first 3 days; then only queen larvae continue eating royal jelly while other larvae are fed bee bread, a mixture of honey and pollen. By passing food mixed with saliva to one another, members of hive have chemical bond. New queens are produced in late spring and early summer; old queen then departs with a swarm of workers to found new colony. About a day later the first new queen emerges, kills other new queens, and sets out for a few days of orientation flights. In 3-16 days queen again leaves hive to mate, sometimes mating with several drones before returning to hive. Drones die after mating; unmated drones are denied food and die.
Habitat Hives in hollow trees and hives kept by beekeepers. Workers visit flowers of many kinds in meadows, open woods, and gardens.
Range Worldwide.
Discussion Settlers brought the Honey Bee to North America in the 17th century. Today these bees are used to pollinate crops and produce honey. They are frequently seen swarming around tree limbs. Honey Bees are distinguished from bumble bees and bees in other families mostly by wing venation.

 

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State Wildflower

Firewheel Blanketflower
Gaillardia pulchella
Firewheel, Indian Blanket

Description Branched stems, mostly leafy near the base, have showy flower heads with rays red at base, tipped with yellow, each with 3 teeth at broad end.
Flowers: head 1 1/2-2 1/2" (3.8-6.3 cm) wide; disk reddish-maroon, dome-like, with bristly scales among the flowers; rays 1/2-3/4" (1.3-2 cm) long.
Leaves: to 3" (7.5 cm) long, oblong, toothed or plain on edges.
Fruit: seed-like, with tapered, white, translucent scales at tip.
Height: 1-2' (30-60 cm).

Flower May-July.
Habitat Sandy plains and desert, common along roadsides.
Range Arizona to Texas; north to se. Colorado and Nebraska; south into Mexico.
Discussion Frequent along roadsides in the Southwest, these wildflowers stand like hundreds of showy Fourth of July pinwheels at the top of slender stalks. Varieties are popular in cultivation, for they tolerate heat and dryness. Among several species in the Southwest, some flowers are entirely yellow.

 

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State Grass

Yellow Indian Grass
Sorghastrum nutans (Sorghastrum avenaceum)
Indian Grass

Description A tall, loosely tufted grass with spikelets forming shiny, golden-brown, plumelike masses on tall stems.
Flowers: tiny, lacking petals; stamens 3, with prominent, yellow anthers protruding; styles 2. Flowers enclosed in hairy scales, with a long, slender, twisted bristle projecting. Scales grouped into spikelets up to 1/3” (8 mm) long; spikelets in a narrow cluster to 10” (25 cm) long.
Leaves: blades to 2’ (60 cm) long, 1/2” (1.3 cm) wide; projecting from the stem at a 458 angle.
Height: 3—8’ (90—240 cm).
Flower August—September
Habitat Prairies; dry fields.
Range S. Ontario and Quebec; south through New England to Florida; west to Texas; north to North Dakota, Wyoming, and Manitoba.
Discussion This is a beautiful grass with a somewhat metallic golden sheen to its flowering parts. It is an important associate in the tallgrass prairies and is relished by livestock. It appears to be favored by occasional flooding and repeated burning and sometimes forms nearly pure stands in the lowlands.

 

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State Reptile

Eastern Collared Lizard
Crotaphytus collaris


Description 8-14" (20-35.6 cm). Large head; conspicuous black-and-white collar across back of neck. Inside of mouth dark. Tail not flattened laterally. Yellow-brown to green with bluish highlights and usually light spots and dark bands. Mature male has blue-green or orange throat without black center seen in Desert Collared Lizard. Gravid female has red-orange spots and bars on sides. Young show alternating dark and light crossbanding.
Breeding Mates April to June; lays 1-12 eggs in midsummer. Hatchlings are about 3 1/2" (8.9 cm) long.
Habitat Hardwood forests to arid areas with large rocks for basking. More frequent in hilly regions, especially among limestone ledges that provide crevices for good cover.
Range E. Utah and Colorado to extreme sw. Illinois, south through c. Texas, into Mexico and west into much of Arizona.
Discussion Diurnal. A wary, feisty lizard that will bite readily and hard, given the chance. It feeds on insects and other lizards. When fleeing would-be captors, it lifts body and tail and dashes along on its hind legs, giving it the appearance of a fierce little dinosaur.

 

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State Floral Emblem

Mistletoe
Phoradendron leucarpum
Oak Mistletoe

Description Semi-parasitic shrub with short, interrupted, axillary clusters of tiny yellow flowers on smooth, green, jointed stems.
Flowers: about 1/8" (3 mm) wide; petals lacking; calyx 3-lobed; male and female flowers on different plants.
Leaves: 3/4 to 5" (2-12.5 cm) long, opposite, ovate to lanceolate, thick, leathery.
Fruit: white, berry-like, less than 1/4" (6 mm) in diameter.
Height: 1' (30 cm).
Flower September-October.
Habitat Parasitic on branches of deciduous trees exposed to sun.
Range New Jersey and Pennsylvania south to Florida and west to West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and eastern Texas.
Discussion This is the common Mistletoe hung at Christmastime. The genus name derives from the Greek phor "a thief," and "dendron" "tree," and refers to their getting at least some nourishment from the trees on which they grow. The fruits are covered with a sticky substance poisonous to man, but relished by such birds as cedar waxwings and bluebirds. The birds spread the seeds through their droppings and by wiping their beaks on branches, where a new plant may become established. The small, northern Dwarf Mistletoe (Arceuthobium pusillum), has short yellow-green stems 1" (2.5 cm) long, with leaves reduced to thin brown scales. This plant occurs only on evergreens, especially spruce, and is found in northern bogs south to New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and west to Michigan.

 

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State Furbearer Animal

Common Raccoon
Procyon lotor

Description Usually gray-brown or orange-brown above, with much black; grayish below. Face has black mask outlined in white. Tail bushy, with 4–6 alternating black and brown or brownish-gray rings. Ears are relatively small. L 24–37" (603–950 mm); T 7 1/2 –16" (192–406 mm); HF 3G –5 3/8" (83–138 mm); Wt 12–48 lb (5.4–21.6 kg).
Similar Species White-nosed Coati has long, thin, indistinctly banded tail, and much less prominent mask. Ringtail lacks mask and has longer tail.
Breeding Mates January–March; litter of 1–8 young born April–May after gestation of 63 days. Birth weight 2 oz (60 g).
Habitat Various wooded and wetland habitats; common along wooded streams. Often found in cities and suburbs as well as in rural areas.
Range Southern Canada through most of U.S. except for portions of Rocky Mountains, c Nevada, Utah, and Arizona.
Discussion Native only to the Americas, the Common Raccoon is nocturnal and solitary except when breeding or caring for its young. An accomplished climber, it can ascend a tree of any size and is able to come down backward or forward. Few animals can descend a tree headfirst; the raccoon does this by rotating the hindfoot 180 degrees. On the ground this animal usually walks, but it can run and is a good swimmer. During very cold spells, the raccoon may sleep for several days or even a month or more at a time, but it does not hibernate. It may be out during warmer periods in winter, and sometimes even forages then, but it does not need to feed, as it stores a third or so of its body weight as fat and can survive the entire winter without eating. Omnivorous, the Common Raccoon eats grapes, nuts, berries, pawpaw, and black cherry; grubs, grasshoppers, and crickets; voles, deer mice, squirrels, and other small mammals; and bird eggs and nestlings. It spends most nights foraging along streams and may raid Common Muskrat houses to eat the young and to prey on rice rats nesting in the muskrat’s walls (afterward perhaps taking the house as its den). The raccoon swims in woodland streams, prowling for crayfish, frogs, worms, fish, dragonfly larvae, clams, turtles, and turtle eggs; climbs trees to cut or knock down acorns; and, in residential areas, tips over or climbs into garbage cans. The Common Raccoon’s nimble fingers, almost as deft as a monkey’s, can easily turn doorknobs and open refrigerators. (In fact, the animal’s common name is derived from aroughcoune, an Algonquin Indian word meaning "he scratches with his hands.") If water is conveniently close, this animal sometimes appears to wash its food, a trait reflected in its species name, lotor, which means "washer." The raccoon’s objective, however, is not to clean the food but to knead and tear at it, feeling for inedible matter that should be discarded. Normally this is done with food found in the water. The Common Raccoon uses its den for bearing young, for winter sleep, and for temporary shelter. Communal denning is common—up to 23 raccoons have been reported in a single den—but usually only one adult male is present. During the day in summer, the Common Raccoon may simply sleep on top of a log, in a nest, or on a clump of vegetation. Although Common Raccoons are sedentary, males travel miles in search of mates. After mating, the male may remain with a female a week or so before leaving to seek another mate. The female is lethargic during pregnancy; she prefers to make a leaf nest in a large, hollow tree, but may also use a protected place, such as a culvert, cave, rock cleft, Woodchuck den, or space under a wind-thrown tree. Young are born in spring and open their eyes at about three weeks; they clamber about the den mouth at seven or eight weeks, and are weaned by late summer. At first the mother carries them about by the nape of the neck, as a cat carries kittens, but she soon leads them on cautious foraging expeditions, boosting them up trees when threatened and attacking predators ferociously if cornered. Some young disperse in autumn; others may remain in the den until the female drives them out upon expecting a new litter, as den space is limited. This creature’s vocalizations are varied and include purrs, whimpers, snarls, growls, hisses, screams, and whinnies. Upon meeting, two raccoons whose territories overlap growl, lower their heads, bare their teeth, and flatten their ears; the fur on the back of their necks and shoulders stands on end. Usually both animals back off without coming to blows.
Foxes, Bobcats, Coyotes, owls, and other predators undoubtedly kill many young raccoons, but the automobile, disease, and accidents probably are more important causes of death. In some regions, "coon" hunting is a popular sport in late autumn, when raccoons are very active, fattening themselves for winter. Such hunting expeditions involve dogs trailing the raccoon until it is treed, at which point the hunters shoot the animal. Sometimes, however, instead of climbing a tree, the raccoon leads hounds to a stream or lake. A dog that swims well can easily overtake a Common Raccoon in the water, but the raccoon, a furious fighter, can defeat a single dog. Raccoon pelts were valuable until the fur industry declined; interest in the animal’s fur probably peaked during the 1920s, when owning a coonskin coat was a collegiate craze.

 

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State Tree

Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Redbud, Judas Tree

Description Tree with short trunk, rounded crown of spreading branches, and pink flowers that cover the twigs in spring.
Height: 40' (12 m).
Diameter: 8" (20 cm).
Leaves: 2 1/2-4 1/2" (6-11 cm) long and broad. Heart-shaped, with broad short point; without teeth; with 5-9 main veins; long-stalked. Dull green above, paler and sometimes hairy beneath; turning yellow in autumn.
Bark: dark gray or brown; smooth, becoming furrowed into scaly plates.
Twigs: brown, slender, angled.
Flowers: 1/2" (12 mm) long; pea-shaped, with 5 slightly unequal purplish-pink petals, rarely white; 4-8 flowers in a cluster on slender stalks; in early spring before leaves.
Fruit: 2 1/2-3 1/4" (6-8 cm) long; flat narrowly oblong pods; pointed at ends; pink, turning blackish; splitting open on 1 edge; falling in late autumn or winter. Several beanlike flat elliptical dark brown seeds.
Habitat Moist soils of valleys and slopes and in hardwood forests.
Range New Jersey south to central Florida, west to S. Texas, and north to SE. Nebraska; also N. Mexico; to 2200' (671 m).
Discussion Very showy in early spring, when the leafless twigs are covered with masses of pink flowers, Eastern Redbud is often planted as an ornamental. The flowers can be eaten as a salad, or fried. According to myth, Judas Iscariot hung himself on the related Judas-tree (Cercis siliquastrum L.) of western Asia and southern Europe, after which the white flowers turned red with shame or blood.

 

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State Game Bird

Wild Turkey
Meleagris gallopavo


Description Male, 48" (1.2 m); female, 36" (91 cm). Unmistakable. Dusky brown, barred with black, with iridescent bronze sheen; head and neck naked, with bluish and reddish wattles; tail fan-shaped, with chestnut, buff, or white tail tips. Male has spurs and long "beard" on breast. Female smaller, lacks spurs and usually "beard." Domestic turkeys similar, but usually tamer and stockier.
Voice Gobbling calls similar to those of domestic turkey.
Habitat Oak woodlands, pine-oak forests.
Nesting 8-15 buff-colored eggs, spotted with brown, in a shallow depression lined with grass and leaves.
Range Resident in much of southern United States from Arizona east, as far north as New England. Introduced to many western states, including California.
Discussion Although the Wild Turkey was well known to American Indians and widely used by them as food, certain tribes considered these birds stupid and cowardly and did not eat them for fear of acquiring these characteristics. By the end of the 19th century, the Wild Turkey had been hunted almost to extinction in much of its original range. Now, with protection, restocking programs, and the return of the mature forests favored by turkeys, this species is making a marked comeback. It is now common in areas where it was totally absent a few decades ago. Turkeys are swift runners and quite wary. They often roost over water because of the added protection that this location offers. They are polygamous, and the male gobbles and struts with tail fanned to attract and hold his harem.

 

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State Game Animal

White-tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus

Description Size varies greatly; a small to medium-size deer. Tan or reddish brown above in summer; grayish brown in winter. Belly, throat, nose band, eye ring, and inside of ears are white. Tail brown, edged with white above, often with dark stripe down center; white below. Black spots on sides of chin. Buck’s antlers have main beam forward, several unbranched tines behind, and a small brow tine; antler spread to 3' (90 cm). Doe rarely has antlers. Fawn spotted. Ht 27–45" (68–114 cm); L 6' 2"–7' (1.88–2.13 m); T 6–13" (15–33 cm); HF 19–20" (47.5–51.2 cm); Wt male 150–310 lb (68–141 kg), female 90–211 lb (41–96 kg).
Endangered Status Two subspecies of the White-tailed Deer are on the U.S. Endangered Species List. The Key Deer is classified as endangered in Florida, and the Columbian White-tailed Deer is classified as endangered in Washington and Oregon. The Key Deer declined in number as more and more of its habitat in the Florida Keys underwent development throughout the 20th century. Development continues to be a threat to the subspecies today. In 1961 the National Key Deer Refuge was established to protect the deer. The population has risen from a possible low of 25 animals in 1955 to about 250 to 300 today. The Columbian White-tailed Deer once ranged from Puget Sound to southern Oregon, where it lived in floodplain and riverside habitat. The conversion of much of its homeland to agriculture and unrestricted hunting reduced its numbers to a just a few hundred in the early 20th century. It now lives in a few scattered populations, and its numbers have climbed to over 6,000. Julia Butler Hansen Refuge for the Columbian Whitetail Deer provides critical habitat for these deer in southern Washington.

Similar Species Mule Deer has antlers with both main beams branching; tail tipped with black.
Breeding Reproductive season varies: first 2 weeks in November in north, January or February in south. 1–3 young born after gestation of about 6 1/2 months.
Habitat Farmlands, brushy areas, woods, and suburbs and gardens.
Range Southern half of southern tier of Canadian provinces; most of U.S., except far Southwest.
Discussion Although primarily nocturnal, the White-tailed Deer may be active at any time. It often moves to feeding areas along established trails, then spreads out to feed. The animal usually beds down near dawn, seeking concealing cover. This species is a good swimmer. The winter coat of the northern deer has hollow hair shafts, which fill with air, making the coat so buoyant that it would be difficult for the animal to sink should it become exhausted while swimming. The White-tailed Deer is also a graceful runner, with top speeds to 36 mph (58 km/h), although it flees to nearby cover rather than run great distances. This deer can make vertical leaps of 8 1/2 feet (2.6 m) and horizontal leaps of 30 feet (9 m). The White-tailed Deer grazes on green plants, including aquatic ones in the summer; eats acorns, beechnuts, and other nuts and corn in the fall; and in winter browses on woody vegetation, including the twigs and buds of viburnum, birch, maple, and many conifers. The four-part stomach allows the deer to feed on items that most other mammals cannot eat. It can obtain nutrients directly from the food, as well as nutrients synthesized by microbes in its digestive system. This deer eats 5 to 9 pounds (2.25–4 kg) of food per day and drinks water from rain, snow, dew, or a water source. When nervous, the White-tailed Deer snorts through its nose and stamps its hooves, a telegraphic signal that alerts other nearby deer to danger. If alarmed, the deer raises, or "flags," its tail, exhibiting a large, bright flash of white; this communicates danger to other deer and helps a fawn follow its mother in flight.There are two types of social grouping: the family group of a doe and her young, which remain together for nearly a year (and sometimes longer), and the buck group. The family group usually disbands just before the next birth, though occasionally two sets of offspring are present for short periods. Bucks are more social than does for most of the year, forming buck groups of three to five individuals; the buck group, which constantly changes and disbands shortly before the fall rut, is structured as a dominance hierarchy. Threat displays include stares, lowered ears, and head-up and head-down postures. Attacks involve kicking and, less commonly, rearing and flailing with the forefeet. Bucks and does herd separately most of the year, but in winter they may gather together, or "yard up." As many as 150 deer may herd in a yard. Yarding keeps the trails open through the movement of large groups of animals, and provides protection from predators. The leadership of the yards is matriarchal. Deer may occupy the same home range year after year, and may defend bedding sites, but otherwise are not territorial. The White-tailed Deer is less polygamous than other deer, and a few bucks mate with only one doe. The extended rutting season begins at about the time the male is losing his velvet, which varies with latitude. At this time, bucks are still in buck groups, and sparring for dominance increases. (Sparring consists of two deer trying to push each other backward.) The buck group then breaks up, and several bucks begin following a doe at a distance of 150 feet (50 m) or so. They follow the doe’s scent; the largest buck stays closest to the female. A buck attempts to dominate other bucks and may mate with several does over the breeding season. He produces "buck rubs" and also "scrapes," revisiting them regularly during the rut; glandular secretions are left on the rubs. Does visit the scrapes and urinate in them; bucks then follow the trails of the does. After the mating season, the doe returns to the subherd until spring (May or June in the North; January to March in the deep South). A young doe bred for the first time usually produces one fawn, but thereafter has twins and occasionally triplets if food is abundant. The female remains near the fawns, returning to feed them only once or twice a day. Twin fawns are separated, which serves to protect them. Weaning occurs between one and two and a half months. Fawns stay with the mother into the fall or winter, sometimes for up to two years, but the doe generally drives off her young of the previous year shortly before giving birth. The Whitetail’s first antlers are usually a single spike (the "spikehorn"). A three-year-old would be expected to have eight points, but there can be more or less, as the number of tines is influenced greatly by nutritional factors. A Whitetail’s age is determined not by the number of tines on its horns but by the wear on its teeth.
Once nearly exterminated in much of the Northeast and Midwest, this deer is now more abundant than ever, owing to hunting restrictions and the decline in number of its predators, wolves and the Mountain Lion. It has become the most plentiful game animal in eastern North America and is even something of a pest in many areas, eating garden plants and contributing to the spread of Lyme disease. Thinning the deer population is best done by hunting both does and bucks, as hunting bucks only alters the herd rather than reducing it.
There are two dwarf subspecies of White-tailed Deer: the Coues’ Deer, or Arizona Whitetail (O. v. couesi), of the Arizona desert, and the Key Deer (O. v. clavium) of the Big Pine Key area in the Florida Keys. The Coues’ Deer, which has somewhat enlarged ears and tail relative to the other Whitetails, reaches a maximum of about 100 pounds (45 kg). The tiny, dog-size Key Deer weighs 45-75 pounds (21-34 kg) or less. Some mammalogists classify the Key Deer as a separate species.

 

[olena]

State Fish

White Bass
Morone chrysops


Description To 18" (46 cm); 5 1/4 lbs (2.4 kg). Deep, compressed; back olive to silvery-gray; sides silvery to white, with 6-9 dark, narrow stripes, sometimes interrupted below lateral line; belly yellowish. Mouth extends to middle of eye; lower jaw protrudes; single patch of teeth on back of tongue. First dorsal fin separate from second; second anal spine about half length of third, 11-13 soft anal fin rays. 50-60 scales in lateral line; scales extend onto head.
Habitat Large streams, lakes, and reservoirs; over firm sand, gravel, or rocks in moderately clear water.
Range Lake Winnipeg; St. Lawrence River, s. Great Lakes, Mississippi River system, Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Texas and New Mexico. Introduced outside native range.
Discussion The White Bass is found vn schools in open water. It feeds primarily on fishes, but also consumes aquatic insects and crustaceans, which it locates by sight rather than scent. It is an important sport fish, especially in reservoirs. Minnows and lures are excellent bait.

Previous Natural States
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Delaware
Florida
Iowa
Kansas
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Mississippi
Montana
New Hampshire
New Mexico
New York
Ohio
Oregon
Rhode Island
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Washington
West Virginia


Previous Natural Provinces
Manitoba
New Brunswick
Northwest Territories
Ontario
Prince Edward Island
Quebec

 

[Snowwark]

Wow, Oklahomo seems especially blessed!!

I'm reading a book called The Englishman's Boy, by Guy Vanderhaeghe. Part of the story is set in the 1870's. A sternwheeler comes across a herd of buffalo crossing the channel, and everyone grabs their guns and starts shooting them, for fun.

"Hunters ran frenziedly from starboard to post, struggling for one last shot, whooping and swearing and jostling for vantage, throwing spent rifles to the deck and drawing revolvers which they emptied into the dark, stuggling mass."

Yes, it's fiction, but I wouldn't be surprised if very similar scenarios actually happened.

Okay, enough of that!! Yikes!

The honeybees and deer certainly seem to get around! Another book I just read, The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd, gives a great deal of insight into these fascinating insects! Oh, this book is much more uplifting!! lol...

Great job Olena, fabulous pictures, and interesting info!

Thank you very much!!

Sorry I babbled on so......

 

[olena]

No, Kim. That was great!