MAY 2014

Big Finds of Little Plants at Fort Chaffee

Why Baby Birds Don't Need Our Interference

Commission Tours Terre Noire NA

Celebrate Endangered Species Day May 16

Big Finds of Little Plants at Fort Chaffee

In early April, ANHC botanists Brent Baker and Theo Witsell teamed up with biologists from Fort Chaffee to search for one of the smallest (and rarest) plants in the state. They were searching for geocarpon (Geocarpon minimum), one of just five plant species known from Arkansas on the Federal Endangered Species List. Click here to read more and find out what the group discovered.

Commission tours Terre Noire NA, sees flowering plant that takes years to bloom

Prior to the May business meeting earlier this month, the members of the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission (ANHC), along with agency staff, toured Terre Noire Natural Area in Clark County. Jennifer Akin, deputy director of the ANHC, lead the tour and pointed out several interesting plants in woodlands bordering this high-quality blackland prairie. The group even got a chance to see a flowering plant that takes years to bloom – the American columbo (Frasera caroliniensis). Follow this link to learn more about American columbo.

Why Baby Birds Don't Need Our Interference

At some point or another, nearly everyone who spends time outdoors or who feeds backyard birds finds a young bird, unable to fly very well and looking lost or abandoned by its parents.

Our first impulse is to adopt this apparently helpless creature and try to raise it ourselves. But in most cases, the young bird does not need our help at all, and, in fact, we may be doing more harm than good. To find out why, follow this link.

Celebrate Endangered Species Day May 16

Every year on the third Friday of May, America celebrates Endangered Species Day. Started in 2006 by the U.S. Congress, this special day brings awareness to plant and animal species at risk of becoming extinct and celebrates our nation’s wildlife and wild places. Read more about Endangered Species Day here.

Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission on Facebook

Did you enjoy a particular story? Do you have a question for one of our experts? We love hearing from you! Send general questions, comments, and concerns to arkansas@naturalheritage.org. Individual article authors can be emailed by clicking their byline under article titles. Let us know what you think!

Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission's Flickr Photostream

Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission on YouTube

	ARKANSAS NATURAL HERITAGE COMMISSION 1500 Tower Building, 323 Center Street Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 Phone: (501) 324-9619 / Fax: (501) 324-9618 / TDD: (501) 324-9150 arkansas@naturalheritage.org