There are a number of sources you can use as a way to pull the basic information for your species. Here is by no means an exhaustive list of online websites, but it will get you started and you may be able to find most, if not all, of your information from these sources.
If you choose to use a source from another website, that's OK--as long as the information is coming from a trusted source. A blog from the World Wildlife Federation is OK, but a blog from someone with no listed or verifiable credentials or expertise should be avoided. When in doubt--ask the librarian. Her contact should be included on the home page of this guide.
Identification:
General:
Discover Life (taxonomy-based choices to guide ID)
iNaturalist (website/app that can be used with smartphone cameras)
Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources: Fish & Wildlife: Animals
Purdue University's Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program: Wildlife Identification Guide
Wikipedia (can look up scientific names if you have common name only)
Plants:
Arbor Day Foundation: What Tree Is That? (a taxonomy Q&A format guide)
DePauw University: Field Guide to Trees
Indiana Wildlife Federation: Native Plants Finder
Native Plant Trust Go Botany: Simple Key for Plant Identification
Purdue University Ft. Wayne: Index of Trees
Mammals:
Purdue University: Common Indiana Mammals
Birds:
Cornell University: Merlin Bird ID
Indiana Audubon Backyard Birds of Indiana
Reptiles and Amphibians:
Hoosier Herpetological Society: Indiana State Herps (reptiles and amphibians)
Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources: Fish & Wildlife: Amphibians and Reptiles
Indiana Herp Atlas (reptiles and amphibians)
Fish:
Indiana DNR: Fish & Wildlife: Fishing Species & Identification (Don't see your fish on the guide? This page tells you how to send a photo in for identification!)
Purdue University: Fish of Indiana
Invertibrates: Insects, Spiders, etc.
Identify insects, arachnids (spiders and their relatives): BugGuide.Net
Insect Identification for the Casual Observer: BugFinder (also does spiders)
Macroinvertebrates.org: The Atlas of Common Freshwater Macroinvertebrates of Eastern North America
Purdue University's Indiana 4-H Entomology: Insect Flash Cards
Mollusks, Gastropods, Crustaceans:
IndySnails: Indiana Species List (snails and slugs)
Purdue University Unexpected Plants and Animals of Indiana
Conservation status:
Endangered, Threatened, and Extirpated Plants of Indiana list
Endangered, Threatened, Rare and Extirpated Spiders and Insects of Indiana list
Earth's Endangered Creatures Endangered Species Search
Indiana Endangered, Threatened, and Rare Species map
Indiana Species of Greatest Conservation Need
Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources Rare and Endangered Wildlife page
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (good if you want to find out if it's widely endangered, not just state endangered)
U.S. Fish and Wildlife ECOS Listed Animals
U.S. Fish and Wildlife ECOS Listed Plants
Natives:
Indiana Native Plant Society's Indiana Native Plant Finder Tool
Indiana Wildlife Federation: Native Plants Finder
Indiana Wildlife Federation: Native Animals Finder (vertebrates only)
Purdue University's Recommended Indiana-Native Plants for Attracting Pollinators
Invasive Species
Indiana DNR: Invasive Species links to aquatic and terrestrial plant and animal species
Indiana Native Plant Society: Meet Indiana's Bad Guys
Purdue University, Indiana Invasive Species Council: Official IISC Invasive Plant List
Purdue University, Invasive Plants in Indiana
Let's give credit where credit is due! You will likely have at least 2 sources for this project--one for the photo and at least one for identification, food web information, and other facts. While you may know some basic information--common knowledge such as horses are herbivores doesn't need citing--please cite any resource you used to get information. We're not asking for much here--basic information will be enough. Here are the suggested ways to cite your sources:
For pictures
Don't forget that giving credit where credit is due is true for your own content, including pictures. If you use a picture that you take on your phone, digital camera, etc., make sure we all know! You can follow the librarian's lead and credit yourself as simply as this:
Photo credit: Cassaundra Bash.
If you wish, you can also provide a date, such as 2024 or 10/31/24, after your name, but it's optional.
There may be animals that you see while walking about campus that may be difficult to photograph, particularly birds and insects. If you see an animal that intrigues you but you can't take a clear photo of it, see if you can at least get enough visual clues to identify it. Once you positively ID it, you can grab an image of it from a site like Wikipedia, where photos and pictures are public domain or licensed for general use, if credited. Just because it's public domain, doesn't mean you shouldn't provide the citation/credit.
Photo credit: lrbis1983, public domain, Wikipedia
For text sources
Text sources require a little more information, but not much. We aren't asking for a full, formal citation in MLA, APA, or another style, but we do want enough information that we can acknowledge the source (whether that source is one of those listed above or one you find on your own), and track it down in case someone is interested in reading it (this is another reason why citations are important!). Please provide the author (when applicable) and/or the site sponsor (such as Purdue University), the title of the web page specific to the information, the webpage publication date when available, and the URL. Please use nd for "no date" if you can't find a date of publication. If you choose, you can hyperlink the URL to the title of your source, but pasting it at the end is also acceptable. Here are some examples:
Webpage with full information:
Greenwald, Noah. "American Burying Beetle Loses Endangered Status Despite Major Threats From Oil Development, Climate Change". Center for Biological Diversity, Sept. 4, 2020. https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/american-burying-beetle-loses-endangered-status-despite-major-threats-oil-development-climate-change-2020-09-04/
Webpage with author, no date
MacDonald, Bridget. "Beetles Get by with a Little Help from Their Friends." U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, nd. https://www.fws.gov/story/beetles-get-little-help-their-friends
Webpage with no author, from a government/organization/institution, with no date:
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. "American Burying Beetle", nd. https://www.fws.gov/species/american-burying-beetle-nicrophorus-americanus
OR
"American Burying Beetle." U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, nd.
Note that all information in both versions of the citation are there, they are just re-arranged, and the URL is hyperlinked in the second. Since the librarian will be adding these entries, she can standardize them when she creates the record.