nature signs

Banded demoiselle Calyopteryx splendens male perched on a reed

Common or smooth newt Lissotriton vulgaris cut to white

Red-tailed bumblebee Bombus lapidarius worker showing orange abdominal segments

Common frog Rana temporia watercolour illustration cut to white

Cut to white illustration of female common toad showing warty skin and orange eye

Bittern Botaurus stellaris cut to white showing cryptic colouring and large beak and legs

Rough bent grass Agrostis scabra with details of spikelet and ligule

Little Bluestem grass Schizachryium scoparium including roots

Black oil beetle Meloe proscarabaeus showing distinctive abdominal shape and antennae.

Spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta with leg bone of giraffe

Green woodpecker Picus viridis anting for parasite removal

Greater Spotted woodpecker Dendrocopos major seeking food.  Using its beak to pry under areas of bark, the woodpecker looks for small insects.

Digestive system of bird using domestic chicken, in diagram format, with close up of gizzard

Bighorn sheep Ovis canadensis fighting, using his horns to charge at a mating rival.

Comparison of Beak use in Darwin’s Finches.  Stippled illustration showing singing, feeding, and preening.

Beak comparison in Darwin’s finches showing use feeding, singing, and preening.  Line drawing.

Singing Darwin’s Finch Geospiza fulginosa showing beak in use.  

Singing Darwins Finch Geospiza fuliginosa.  Line drawing showing Galapagos finch and beak use.

Bird preening Darwins Finch Geospiza magnirostris line drawing showing the beak in use in parasite removal

Preening Darwins Finch Geospiza magnirostris line drawing showing the beak in use in parasite removal

Darwins Finch Geospiza magnirostris with Tribulus seed.  Stippled illustration showing beak adaptability.

Darwin’s Finch Geospiza magnirostris with Tribulus seed (line drawing)

Common or Black Knapweed Centaura nigra, showing diverse leaf shape and typical spherical, purple flowering heads.

White Admiral butterfly Limenitis camilla with outstretched wings.  This butterfly is a velvety brown with distinctive white markings, crossed with deep brown-black veins.