prairie drop seed

Order: Cyperales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Sporobolus
Species: S. heterolepis

Characteristics:
1-4 feet tall,
green leaves grow in buches around the circular base
blloms with a rusty tan flowers

Adaptations
takes up to 5 years to mature, but can last multiple growing seasons.
draught resistant.

rosin weed

Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Silphium

Characteristics
herbaceous perennial plants .5-4m tall
yellow flower heads
light green
opposite leaves are up to 5" long, lanceolate to ovate, stiff small hairs on both sides
Leaves may also have teeth
flowers look like mini sunflowers
seeds: large, flat, wind carried

Adaptations
roots, taproots and short rhizomes, forming clumps

Sassafras

order: Laurales
Family: Lauraceae
Genus: Sassafras
Species: albidum

Characteristics:
grows 30-50 ft tall
bark - smooth orange-brown, deeply furrowed
leaves 3 kinds - 2 lobed, mitten (1 lobe) and oval.
flowers - tiny, yellow 5 petals
fruit - blue-black, egg shaped
smells like the expensive organic fruit loops

Adaptations: prefersn rich, well drained sandy loam
roots sprout

eastern american toad

order: Anrura
Family: Bufonidae
Genus: Bufo
Species: B. americanus

characterictis
medium sized, 5-00 cm long.
skin colour changes depending on humidity, stree and temperature (yellow-brown-black) spots on the belly and back on back black spots only 1-2 warts

adaptations:
hibernators
live in wide ranges if have: fresh water pond, insects and safety

garter snake

Order: Squamata
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Thamnophis

Characteristics
yellow stripes on the black or brown scale - with a narrow stripe down the middle
and two thicker ones down the middle.
black spots alternating on the line spaces

Adaptations
many habitats
saliva appears to be toxic to amphibians and other small animals.

cottonwood

order: Malpighiales
Family: Salicaeae
Genus: Populus
Section: P. sect. Aegiros

characteristics
large deciduous trees, tall, thick
deeply fissured bark and trianglar-based leave green on both sides.
leaves have a flattened stem which makes them flutter in the wind.
flowers appear before the leaves in spring. ,
seeds are connected with cottony fluffy. wind

adaptations
flooding tolerant,

painted turtle

order: Testudines
Family: Emydidae
Genus: Chrysemys
Species: C. picta

Characteristics
head, tail, feet, - red and yellow striped design
belly - yellowish or ywllo-orange, dark pattern in the center
shell on the back

adaptations:
digs into the mud for insulation
can survive at 3 degrees C without oxygen for 5 months. WOW if thats not not an adaptation then I don't know what is.