The New England aster is a hub species, being visited by and supporting an extremely high number of critter types -- insect, bird, and mammal.

Brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, are the only trout native to the eastern U.S. Brookies are part of the salmonid family, including salmon and char.

Hummingbird moths are members of the sphynx, or hawk moth family. They are diurnal nectar eaters and important pollinators.

American oystercatchers are large, eye-catching shorebirds, with long, slender, bright orange bills, red-ringed yellow eyes, spindly pink legs, black heads, dark brown sides, and white chests.

They are cute little frogs about an inch long that announce the end of winter. Only males peep and females are attracted by the peeping.

Northern Flying Squirrels, also known as Glaucomys Sabrinus, is one of three members of its species, with a range from Canada to North Carolina and west to Utah.

The sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is one of the defining trees of northeastern North America, thriving in rich hardwood forests from the Great Lakes through New England and into Eastern Canada.

The wild blueberry is the fruit of this abundant, low growing, variable shrub, prevalent throughout the Northeast. It is truly an amazing species.

These clams provide a source of food, ordered off menus as littlenecks, topnecks, and clam chowder. But they were also used by the Native people of this place as an important cultural item.

The luna moth is a large and dramatic moth of North America. It has pale green wings with multi-colored eyespots, and a dark maroon stripe along the leading edge of its upper wings.

The Golden-Winged Warbler is a warbler with a color pattern all its own. They are slim, silvery-gray birds with golden flashes on their heads and wings.

Bog Turtles are the smallest turtles in Connecticut. Adults reach no more than 4.5 inches long.

The gray fox is a small, agile, omnivorous mammal that can be found from southern Canada to northern Venezuela (South America).

The American chestnut is a fast‑growing tree native to eastern North America that produces edible nuts.

The Aster mining bee, which is about the size of a honey bee, is found in the Northeastern United States and in Ontario and Quebec, Canada.

The Widow Skimmer is a dragonfly commonly found perched on vegetation or patrolling in flight over the waters of wetlands and lake edges, or even slow moving streams.

The Widow Skimmer is a dragonfly commonly found perched on vegetation or patrolling in flight over the waters of wetlands and lake edges, or even slow moving streams.

The common loon is perhaps best known for its distinctive calls, which scientists have classified into 4 types – yodels, hoots, tremolos and wails – each with different purposes.

Eastern newts are native to the U.S. The bright orange salamanders you see sneaking under leaves are in their second stage of life called eft. They start out emerging from eggs attached to water plants in ponds and bogs. In this first stage of life, called aquatic larvae, they have gills.

The Northern Short-Tailed Shrew ranges from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic, spending a short, frenetic life underground or in leaf litter, foraging for food in frantic bursts, then sleeping much of the day, though not hibernating.

Serviceberry, Amelanchier Arborea, is also known as Juneberry, Shadbush among many other names. This is a small North American native tree that grows between 20 and 25 feet tall and 6 feet wide.

Joe-pye weed is a tall, late-blooming annual in the composite (Asteraceae) family. It thrives in moist, sunny, open areas—especially fens, meadows, marshes, wet fields, and drainages—where it towers over most other annuals, reaching heights of up to 7 feet.

The Minke, a small Baleen whale, is an apex predator who plays a critical role in marine ecosystems. The scientific name signifies “Winged whale with a sharp snout.”

Mud dauber wasps are a set of wasp species from several families that share similar body shape, nest shape, and behavior.

An adorable and fluff-breasted small songbird with a distinctive black mask and a call that features both a short kind whistle and a rattle, like the roll of the dice, the northern shrike is breeds in the tundra of North America and Siberia.

Gray treefrogs are actually often a combination of gray, brown, and green, which helps them blend in where they live in trees or shrubs or fallen logs near water.

Snowshoe hares live in the coniferous and boreal forests of the Rocky Mountains, the Appalachian Mountains, the Pacific Northwest, New England, Alaska, Minnesota, Michigan, and Montana.

The storied white oak grows primarily in the eastern United States and into Canada. The name derives from the light-colored bark and the underside of the leaves.

Fairy-slipper is a rare orchid in New England, being found only in northern white-cedar-dominated swamps in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

Shortnose Sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum), one of the smallest sturgeons at 4 feet long, is found in saltwater estuaries and freshwater rivers from Canada to Florida.