senandoah
Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

Wild, Wild East

The Eastern North America looks like a naturalist's nightmare on World population density or industrial development maps. Few people realize that it is one of the most interesting parts of our planet not only for a fast food addict, but also for a biologist. Even among the locals, it is a widespread belief that the East is just one huge megalopolis with few small parks inside, that you need to visit the West to see any wild and unspoiled Nature. Fortunately, it's not true.

ny
New York City, New York.
Nannorrup nelsoni, World's
smallest centipede, was recently described from a park here.
Although vast parts of the East are now converted to smog-wrapped cities, or paved over as freeway junctions, there is enough land in between for some wilderness. As the plague of large-scale logging have been exported to Canada and the Third World, the forests of the East are now recovering, and so does the wildlife. Unfortunately, many key components of Eastern ecosystems, such as red wolf, Pennsylvania bison, passenger pigeon, and American chestnut, have been lost, some of them forever.
A common, but heart-breaking sight in the forests are young chestnuts sprouting from old stumps. They are all doomed to be killed by introduced chestnut blight fungus (Cryphonectria parasitica) before reaching maturity. Chestnut used to be the dominant tree in the East, and an important food source for many animals. Some other trees, such as American elm or white pine, have also been wiped out in many areas by introduced diseases or logging. chestnut
Fruits of American
Chestnut (Castanea
dentata
), Michigan.
traps
Pitcher plant
(Sarracenia), Pine
Barrens, New Jersey.
All these tragic events are even more sad because they happen in one of the most precious parts of our planet. Eastern US and China are the main areas where the diverse flora and fauna of Tertiary Period still survive. The East has more species of salamanders, turtles, pines, and carnivorous plants, than any other place in the World.traps
Pitcher plant
(Sarracenia),
Big Thicket, Texas.
salamander
salamander
salamander
Lungless salamanders, left to right: four-toed (Hemidactylius scutatum), slimy (Plethodon glutinosus), mountain dusky (Desmognathus ochrophaeus), red-backed (P. cinereus). Pennsylvania.
salamander
salamander
Long-tailed salamander
(Eurycea longicauda),
Manteo, N. Carolina.
Freshwater fauna is particularly interesting. Almost every river of the seaboard between Chesapeake Bay and Mexican border has its own species of fish and mussels. Some of these endemics are very beautiful, and many are endangered, but they get little attention from environmentalists, not to mention general public. waterdog
Dwarf waterdog
(Necturus punctatus),
Congaree, S. Carolina.
river
Lesser siren (Siren intermedia),
Torreya State Park, Florida.
This small park (right) is home to many of unusual creatures and some endemic trees. But the only reason tourists visit it is because it was the location of two Confederate cannons during the Civil War. river
View of Appalachicola River,
Torreya State Park, Florida.
turtle
Painted turtle (Chrysemys
picta
), Mio, Michigan.
swamp
Alligator snapping turtle (M.
temmincki
), Mayo, Florida.
swamp
Cagle's map turtle (G.
caglei
), San Marcos, Texas
turtle
Pond slider (Ch. scripta),
Beaver Lake, Tennessee.
turtle
Eastern box turtle
(Terrapene carolina), Onondaga Cave,
Missouri.
Well, getting little attention is not always bad. Turtles and tree snails, for example, get too much - some have been almost wiped out by collectors. Turtles of the East range from tiny, bizarre and stunningly beautiful map turtles (Graptemys), to giant snapping turtles (Macroclemys), known to kill little children. Seeing them in the wild takes lot of patience. You can spend hours approaching their basking logs slow enough to avoid scaring them away. turtle
Eastern box turtle is the
world's largest animal
capable of freezing
while hybernating.
turtle
Snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina),
Tuocuonga, Indiana.
Some are completely aquatic, like snapping and softshell (Trionyx) turtles, almost never leave water and can only seen by diving; others are more terrestrial, like wood (Clemmys insculpta) and box turtles. turtle
Snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina),
Tuocuonga, Indiana.
turtle
turtle
Diamondback terrapin in a cypress swamp,
Cape Hatteras, N. Carolina.
turtle
Wood turtle, Cape Cod, Massachusets.
Diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapene) inhabits sea coasts, and seldom enters fresh water. Good places to see many turtle species are Beaver Lake area, Tennessee, northern parts of the Everglades, Florida, Colorado Bend, Texas, and some coastal rivers in Gulf States, Florida Panhandle and North Carolina.
turtle
turtle
Painted turtle (Chrysemys picta),
Niobrara Valley, Nebraska.
fish fish fish fish fish
Minnows (Notropis cummingsae, Cyprinella pyrhomelas, N. leuciodus, Nocomis leptocephalus, Phoxinus oreas) from rivers of N. Carolina.
fish
Bluehead chub (Nocomis
leptocephalus
), Dan River, Virginia.
700 species of fishes from 40 families can be seen by snorkeling in rivers, lakes and swamps of the East - the most diverse non-tropical freshwater ichthyofauna. About 100 species are already extinct or endangered, but local freshwater diving sites are still among the World's best. fish
White catfish (Ameiurus catus),
Atchafalaya River, Louisiana.
fish fish fish
Sunfishes (Lepomis gulsus, Enneacanthus gloriosus, Elassoma evergladei) from lakes of Georgia.
fish
Muskellunge (Esox masquinongy),
Lake Ontario, Ontario.
In some small rivers of the Appalachian foothills you can see more than thirty fish species in one hour of snorkeling. fish
Red shiner (Cyprinella lutrensis),
Neosho River, Kansas.
fish
fish fish
Various species of darters (Etheostoma, Percina) from rivers and lakes of the Carolinas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri. Most of these pictures are close to natural size.
fish
fish fish fish fish fish

fish
fish
fish
Alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula),
Mississipi River, Tennessee.
Some of North American freshwater fishes are "living fossils", such as gars, bowfin fish, and sturgeons. These relicts are not neccessarily shy and humble creatures: alligator gars may exceed 3m (10') in length.
fish
Blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus), Missouri River, Iowa.
These giants are now very difficult to see underwater, but huge catfishes can still be found in many rivers and lakes of the East.
fish
fish
fish
Bowfin (Amia calva),
Santee River, S. Carolina.
fish
Paddlefish (Polyodon spatula), Mississipi River, Tennessee.
fish
Longnose gar (Lepistoteus osseus), Cape Fear River, N. Carolina.
fish
fish
Paddlefish, Mississippi River, Tennessee.
Upper Missouri River and slow-flowing channels of Mississippi still contain some large fish, but finding a place with water transparent enough for diving takes some time.
fish
Yellow perch (Perca flavescens), Lake Ontario.
Shovelnose (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus) and pallid (S. albus) sturgeons are particularly difficult to see in the wild.
fish
fish
Shovelnose sturgeon, Mississippi, Iowa.

fish
Walleye (Stizostedion vitreum), Lake Superior, Michigan.

Part 2. The Deep South

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