Critters of the Appalachian Trail

I've always cultivated a healthy respect and admiration for nature, and as I've been hiking along the Appalachian Trail, I've encountered many remarkable creatures. Some of the organisms I've discovered along the trail are familiar, but many are unique and bizarre. When I was a teacher, I used to ask my students to identify insects and other organisms for extra credit. This was truly a mostly selfish assignment, because it allowed me to learn more about animals without having to do the research myself. So I'm curious to see if random people of the Internet will be willing to indulge me as well. Below are pictures of the animals I have encountered along the trail. If you know anything about a particular organism (i.e. what species it is, any interesting behaviors, trivia tidbits, etc.), I would love to learn more about them. Either leave a comment with your knowledge or email me your info so I can be a little less ignorant about the creatures I am encountering- mfryska87 (at) gmail.com

1. Worm of some kind 

2. Beetle

3. Black and yellow worm 

4. Big black snake

5. Rattle snake

6. Light colored snail

7. Bee

8. Loud-tweeting bird

9. Bright green beetle

10. Dark colored snail

11. Butterfly or possibly moth

12. Bunny rabbit

13. Grasshopper

14. Another orange butterfly or moth

15. Orange salamander 

15. Black and blue butterfly

16. White-tailed deer

17. Orange and black beetles

18. Mouse 

19. Snake

20. Cow (obviously not a wild animal) 

21. Frog and salamander

22. Katydid