American Toad
(Buffo americanus)
Native to cool, damp woods, the American toad is a welcome visitor to the garden, where it eats hundreds of harmful insects under the cover of night.  

Beaver
(Castor canadensis)
Exceptionally well-adapted to life in the water, the beaver is a powerful swimmer capable of travelling up to 5 mph and remaining underwater for 15 minutes or more.

Bumblebee
(genus Bombus)
Thanks to the thick fur that insulates its large flying muscles, the bumblebee can start feeding much earlier in the morning than other bees.

Coyotes
(Canis latrans)
Sometimes known as prairie wolves though they are smaller than wolves and are one of the three different types of wild canids (dogs) found in North America.

Downy Woodpecker
(Picoides pubescens)
One of our most common woodpeckers, the little downy bores into trees in search of insects and larvae, which it nabs with a tongue that shoots out up to twice the length of its head.

Dragonfly (Green Darner)
(Anaz junius)
The green darner is one of the largest dragonflies and a most welcome wetland resident, skimming the water surface at nearly 60 mph to feed on mosquitoes, horseflies and other prey.  

Eastern Cottontail
(Sylvilagus floridanus)
Eastern Cottontails have a habit of thumping the ground with it's hind foot. Scientists believe this may be their warning to other rabbits of danger.
 

Great Blue Heron
(Ardea herodias)
While these graceful birds are a familiar sight throughout our region, their rookeries are not, as breeding requires large, secluded wetland areas like those found here at Valley Lakes

Great Horned Owl
(Bubo virginianus)
Seldom seen in daylight, this large bird of prey is well adapted to nocturnal hunting, with its large eyes and super-sensitive ears.  

Monarch Butterfly
(Danaus plexippus)
Due to a chemical contained in the milkweed sap upon which it feeds, the monarch is unpalat- able to most birds and thus has few natural predators in the wild.  

Painted Turtle
(Chrysemys picta)
With the distinctive red and yellow markings that rim its dark shell, the aptly named painted turtle is easy to spot in its wetland home, sunbathing on logs and rocks.

Red Fox
(Vulpes vulpes)
Intelligent and crafty, this beautiful creature remains one of our region's most prolific wild dogs, thriving in open forests, fields and brushland on the edge of developed areas.

Two-Spotted Ladybug
(Adalia bipunctata)
The organic gardener's best friend. A single ladybug can eat up to 60 aphids a day ... as well as mealybugs, whiteflies, spider mites and many other garden pests.

White-Tailed Deer
(Odocileus virinianus)
While most people know it as a one of our woodlands' fastest runners, few are aware that the deer is a strong swimmer, capable of sustaining speeds up to 13 mph over 3 miles.  

Some images and text courtesy of www.valleylakes.com and Pritzker Realty Group