U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Ventura

Did someone have an onion bagel? 🥯That funky smell is just the cattle ponds that serve as great habitat for the federally endangered California tiger salamander.

Livestock ponds are critical to the survival of the salamanders, who use their water from the winter rains to mate and lay their eggs. Hatched salamanders start as legless, fish-like larvae with gills. They feed and grow for at least 12 weeks to metamorphose and mature for life with new legs and lungs on land. As metamorphosed juveniles, the salamanders disperse from the breeding ponds into upland habitat in small mammals’ underground burrows as they grow into adulthood.

During a California tiger salamander survey on a cattle ranch in Santa Barbara County, biologists were delighted to find several in their larval stage, meaning they still had their external gills. All collection, handling, and transportation activities were conducted under the authorities of State and Federal permits.

Photo of California tiger salamanders in their larval stage. Photo credit: Vanessa Morales/USFWS.
Photo of biologists surveying for California tiger salamanders in livestock pond by Vanessa Morales/USFWS.
Photo of cattle next to livestock pond by Vanessa Morales/USFWS.

Don't be ridiculous, Andrea. Everybody wants this. Everybody wants to be us. 😎

We couldn't agree more. The San Francisco garter snake is often called one of the most beautiful snakes in the United States. They’re known for their burnt-orange head, slender, turquoise-blue body, and bold stripes.

They are often found in or next to aquatic freshwater habitat, including ponds, creeks, marshes, canals and other water sources, which they use for foraging and basking during the day. They also use grassy areas near water sources to regulate their body temperature, find cover, forage, mate and hibernate. During colder months, the snake moves into underground rodent burrows or under rocks for shelter.

Photo by Richard Kim/USGS

The truth is…there’s NO ONE that can do what I do. -Sea otters

Southern sea otters can be found in nearshore areas along the central California coastline, including areas of high human activity, like harbors. As a keystone species, they play a fundamental role in the natural food web and keep important elements of coastal ecosystems like kelp forests and seagrass beds in balance. Sea otters help maintain kelp forests by preying on sea urchins, which can clear-cut kelp forests when left unchecked.

Photo of sea otter mother and large pup by Lilian Carswell/USFWS.

Do I smell freesias? If I see freesias, anywhere, I will be veryyy disappointed...

What? No! We specifically told them native California plants only! Miranda would find it incredibly chic to see you gardening with plants that attract and benefit native pollinators. Pollinators depend on healthy places to feed, breed and rest. They prefer native plants found in your area, which increase their chance to survive and in turn help with agricultural pollination of our food.

Photo of monarch caterpillars eating native milkweed plant by Connie Rutherford/USFWS.
Photo of student planting pink flowering currant by USFWS.
Photo of fuschia by USFWS.
Photo of California sunflower by USFWS.

What you don’t know is that that sweater is not just blue. It’s not turquoise. It’s not lapis. It’s actually cerulean.

Don’t be blithely unaware of the fact that the Palos Verdes blue butterfly is endemic to the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles County, California. Listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, it is a subspecies of the wide-ranging silvery blue butterfly, a species distributed throughout western North America. Males have a silvery-blue dorsal wing surface with a narrow black border and females have a brownish-gray dorsal wing surface. This species feeds on deerweed and Santa Barbara milk vetch as caterpillars.

Photos of Palos Verdes blue butterfly by Jane Hendron/USFWS.

Gird your loins, it is National Wildlife Week!

We're lucky to be surrounded by so many unique species that bring beauty to our backyards and keep our ecosystems running. You can celebrate by getting outside, observing wildlife (respectfully), planting native species, or supporting conservation efforts in your community!

Photo of monarch butterfly and white crowned sparrow by USFWS
Photo of island night lizard courtesy of the U.S. Navy
Photo of island fox courtesy of Chuck Graham

By all means, move at a glacial pace, you know how that thrills me 🐌. They may not be "Runway" approved, but we love slow moving critters like the Morro shoulderband snail!

The Morro shoulderband snail belongs to the land snail genus, Helminthoglypta, which contains three subgenera comprising more than 100 species and subspecies. It has adapted to changing environmental conditions by having a two-part life cycle: During the rainy season, feeding, reproduction, and most individual growth will occur while in the drier seasons individuals spend the majority of the year in aestivation (prolonged dormancy).

Photo courtesy of Dan Dugan

Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking.

We happen to believe this is true! Many native plants bloom during the spring which provides fruit for wildlife and nectar for pollinators.

One native plant that is starting to bloom is the California lilac. This beautiful and fragrant plant provides nectar for bumblebees and butterflies. Which wildflowers are you most excited to see? Photos by USFWS

We're leaping for joy because it is World Frog Day! 🐸

The California red-legged frog is our state amphibian and the largest native frog in the western United States. The frog, which was featured in Mark Twain's short story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," is named for its red abdomen and hind legs. It was once found from Mendocino County to Baja California, Mexico, but habitat loss and introduction of non-native species has negatively impacted the California red-legged frog throughout its range.

To celebrate World Frog Day today and every day, you can help the California red-legged frog by not releasing pets into the wild, using amphibian-friendly pesticides, or by baking bread inspired by the California red-legged frog with your family to spread awareness!

https://www.fws.gov/story/2023-01/california-red-legged-frog-jalapeno-cheddar-bread

Happy Birthday to the National Wildlife Refuge System! 🎂

On March 14th, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt established the first national wildlife refuge at Pelican Island, Florida, to protect brown pelicans. Today, national wildlife refuges protect thousands of species and provide access to recreation, such as fishing and hunting, to wildlife watching and photography. On this day, we’re highlighting our neighboring refuges protecting listed species such as condors, plovers, many plants, and so much other wildlife!

🦅Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge in Fillmore, CA is home of the Condor Recovery Program and protects a variety of plants that provide habitat for other species protected under the Endangered Species Act.
🌿Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge conserves central California coastal dune and associated wetlands habitats and support the recovery of native plants and animals federally listed as threatened or endangered. Home to more than 120 species of rare plants and animals, the refuge provides a safe place for species such as La Graciosa thistle, surf thistle, beach spectacle pod, giant coreopsis, California red-legged frog, western snowy plover, and California least tern.
🗻Bittercreek National Wildlife Refuge is a hub of condor activity and research activities, acting as an important corridor for condors, raptors, and other wildlife.

Learn more about the National Wildlife Refuge System and how to find a refuge near you: https://ow.ly/JWKU50QSFZi.

Photo of California condor at Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge by Joanna Gilkeson/USFWS.

Photo of the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge sign by Vanessa Morales/USFWS.
Photo of a California condor protecting its chick in a nest cave near Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge during the 2008 nesting season by Joseph Brandt/ USFWS).