Field Notes
Animalia: A Reference and Orientation Chart
The animal kingdom, Animalia, includes an extraordinary range of living forms, from familiar birds and mammals to insects, spiders, mollusks, worms, and other invertebrates. This chart provides a broad reference and orientation point for the animal section of the Field Notes, showing how major animal groups relate to one another at a high level. It is not intended as a complete scientific classification, but as a practical guide for placing photographed species into context. As new animal subjects are added, this framework can help connect individual observations to the larger branches of animal life.
Animal Groups
Arachnids
Spiders, scorpions, and more
Field notes and family guides for arachnids, emphasizing form, behavior, and seasonal context.
Birds
Structure, behavior, and season
Field notes and family guides for birds, emphasizing movement, habitat, and seasonal context.
Insects
Insects of all kinds
Field notes and family guides for insects, emphasizing form, behavior, and seasonal context.
Mammals
Mammals of all kinds
Field notes and family guides for mammals, emphasizing form, behavior, and seasonal context.
Odonata
Dragonflies and damselflies
Field notes and family guides for odonates.
Fungi and Lichens
Fungi
Macrofungi and rusts
Observational field notes on fungi, emphasizing form, substrate, and seasonal appearance.
Lichens
Structure and comparison
Field notes and identification details for lichens observed during field photography.
Plant groups
Plants
Plant field notes
Field notes and family guides for plants, emphasizing form, habitat, and seasonal context
Checklists & ID Guides
dragonfly checklist
Dragonfly checklist
A checklist of dragonflies observed during field photography, organized by family and seasonal appearance.
damselfly checklist
Damselfly checklist
A checklist of damselflies observed during field photography, organized by family and seasonal appearance.
lichen checklist
Lichen checklist
A checklist of lichens observed during field photography, organized by family and growth habit.
bird checklist
Bird checklist
A checklist of birds observed during field photography, organized by family and seasonal appearance.
spider checklist
Spider checklist
A checklist of spiders observed during field photography, organized by family and seasonal appearance.
Seasonal observations, IDs, and stories.
Field Essays & Observations
First Quiet Voices of Spring
The first colors beneath bare branches.
Rue Anemones bloom after rain — fragile, pale, and brief — marking the quiet return of life to the woodland floor.
The Day of the Jumping Mushrooms
Squirrel, Turkeytail, Slimespike.
A morning story that changed under a spore print.
Comparative Notes
Comparing Four Pine Species
Austrian Pine · Jack Pine · Red Pine · Lodgepole Pine
This guide compares four common or commonly planted pines in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest.
Comparing Four Lichen Species
Comparative lichen study
Field comparison of four lichen species using form, surface, and growth habit.