Spring Nature Challenge

Can you find these animals that remind us spring is here?

AMERICAN ROBIN

Food group- Omnivore (earthworms, insects, fruits)

Habitat- Forest, urban areas

Fun facts- Lays 3-4 blue eggs, 2 broods often raised, young leave nest after about 2 weeks

CANADA GOOSE

Food Group - Herbivore (grains, grasses, various plants)

Habitat - Marshes, ponds, wetlands

Fun facts - Mates for life, migrate in flocks, goslings leave nest in about a day

LADYBUG

Food Group - Omnivore or Herbivore depending on type (aphids, mites, plants,

mildew, pollen)

Habitat - Forests, grasslands, urban communities

Fun facts - Consumes up to 5,000 insects in a lifetime (~ 1 year), plays dead if threatened, is not a bug but a beetle

MALLARD

Food Group- Omnivore (grains, wetland plants, freshwater shrimp, snails)

Habitat- Marshes, ponds, wetlands

Fun facts- Dabbling duck, male has a bright green head, female is mottled brown

to blend in when on a nest, nest in grasslands and fields, lays on average 9 eggs, ducklings travel up to 3 km to reach water

AMERICAN RED SQUIRREL

Food Group- Omnivore (nuts, seeds, insects, mushrooms, eggs)

Habitat- Forests, parks

Fun facts- Lives in trees, is territorial, stores food for the winter, doesn't hibernate,

raises up to 7 kittens (young) per litter, its long tail is used for balance

THIRTEEN-LINED GROUND SQUIRREL

Food Group- Omnivore (seeds, grass, grains, eggs, insects)

Habitat- Grasslands, fields, roadsides

Fun facts- Lives in burrows underground, hibernates during the winter, sense of smell, eyesight and touch are very good, eaten by hawks and other predators

LEOPARD FROG

Food Group- Carnivore (eats insects, beetles, worms, small frogs)

Habitat- Marshes, ponds, wetlands

Fun facts- Large green or brown frog with large dark spots, food is swallowed with

the aid of its eye muscles, a group of frogs is called an army!

RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD

Food Group- Omnivore (eats insects and seeds)

Habitat- Marshes, ponds, wetlands, uplands

Fun facts- Male has a large red wing patch used to attract mates, wing patch displayed in territorial disputes, lays 2-4 eggs, distinct call that sounds like "choke-eree"

WESTERN MEADOWLARK

Food Group- Omnivore (eats insects and seeds)

Habitat- Grasslands, pastures

Fun facts - Part of the blackbird family, often sings on a post, performs a flight song, builds a partially domed nest

MONARCH BUTTERFLY

Food Group- Herbivore (nectar)

Habitat- Gardens, grasslands, roadsides, pastures

Fun facts - Its bright colour tells predators it doesn't taste good, Monarch caterpillars feed mostly on the leaves of the milkweed, migrates south to Mexico for the winter