Observations by kennes15

Small snail about 2-3cm long with a tan/brown/olive green shell with a black stripe down the middle. The snails body was a brown color (darker than the shell). It was in a group of 5 snails within a few meters. It was slowly moving across the side walk. I used an online field guide to identify this snail using the features of it's shell.

Old White oak probably 30M tall and 35m wide. It was the only tree like this in the area ant it was in a partial clearing on the edge of the woods. I determined it to be a white Oak and not a red oak because it's leaves don't have points on them they have rounded leaves.

Younger shagbark Hickory, roughly 15m tall. It had large oval shaped leaves with pointed ends that were in clusters of 5 or 7. There were a good amount of these trees in this area probably one every 30-50 meters. The amount of juvenile trees was greater than the amount of mature ones. I used a print tree identification guide to identify this tree. The shagbark hickory has sets of 5 oval shaped leaves.

The toad was mostly brown and tan with a lighter/white stripe down the middle of it's back. It was about 3-4 cm off the ground and 6-7 cm long. Its skin was bumpy and rough. It had particularly large bumps behind its eyes. For the whole time I observed it it did not move much from the embankment by a stream it was on. I used an online amphibian guide and the physical features of the toad to identify it.

1 foot long snake found in fall brook. Mostly tan with black triangles down the length of its back. It was the only individual in the area. It was sitting in the sun and swam away when we got close. I determined it to be a juvenile eastern ribbon snake but someone else identified it as a DeKays brown snake so I am not positive as to what it is.

20 meter tall tree with relatively thin trunk and branches compared to other trees of its height. its leaves are oval shaped with one defined vein in the center. Leaves are always opposite each other in thinner branches. it was in a cluster of two or three other trees of each species but there wasn't another cluster within 50 yards. I knew it was a white ash because i used a tree identification guide and looked at the leaves.

Tall tree standing about 20 meters tall with hard wood and a brown bark. The tree had sprawling branches with leaves that had branched veins and jagged edges. Although other trees of this species were in the area there were none within 75 meters of this one. I knew it was a sugar maple because of the shape of the leaves on the tree.

Plant approximately 1 meter tall with small yellow flowers on the top quarter of the stems. Stalk of plant has long narrow leaves with vascular tissue that runs down the length of the leaf. The plant was found in abundance and pretty good density in the underbrush in a clearing in a temperate forest. I knew this plant was in the family of goldenrods but I was unsure about the exact species until some one else identified it.