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The Chesapeake Bay watershed spans 64,000 square miles throughout New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washinton, D.C. To put that into perspective, that’s more than 14 times the size of the Chesapeake Bay itself. This expansive, diverse land is home to more than 18 million people and over 3,000 plant and animal species. There’s a wide range of landscapes and even more life to explore throughout the watershed, so we’re glad you’re here.
BIRD SPECIES
FISH SPECIES
INSECT SPECIES
MAMMAL SPECIES
REPTILE SPECIES
AMPHIBIAN SPECIES
ALGAE SPECIES
INVERTEBRATES
“Animals Upstream” is an engaging four-part video series that unveils the often-overlooked wonders within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. When one thinks of the Chesapeake Bay, images of rockfish, oysters, and blue crabs likely come to mind. While these are iconic to the region, the watershed extends across 64,000 square miles and provides a home to more than 3,600 species of plants and animals.
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What’s swimming right now? Fairy shrimp! These small crustaceans live in vernal pools and lakes and are an important food source for both fish and birds.
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How do amphibians survive winter? These cold-blooded critters have unique methods for staying alive during the frigid winter months.
Beneath a creek’s waters lives an entirely different ecosystem of critters that would not look out of place from the movie franchise, Alien, clinging to rocks and crawling on the submerged substrate. Despite their less than loveable features, a stream’s aquatic benthic macroinvertebrates are great indicators of stream health.
Is this the fabled “murder hornet” we keep hearing about? No! This is the eastern cicada killer wasp!
It’s a bird! It’s a bee! It’s a… moth?! More specifically, it’s a hummingburd clearwing moth.
Voles might look small, adorable, and innocent, but they can wreak immense havoc on newly planted forests.
As we begin to welcome the warmer weather and longer days, you may have noticed an upTICK in pesky biters. They don’t have to put a damper on your outdoor plans, though! Check out some tips, tricks, and fun facts on how to identify and prevent them.
It’s not a giant mosquito! In fact, there aren’t giant mosquitoes! In North America, mosquitoes max out at less than a dime in size, legs included. Keep the change! This is a crane fly!
Wood ducks are one of those animals that just seems odd and out of place in our watersheds. But, wood ducks are native to the Bay, and call the Chesapeake home year-round.
Large, charismatic wildflower blooms might get more screen time than some of the early tree blooms that are harder to appreciate or photograph from eye-level, but both are important to bee conservation, for both generalist and specialist species.
