A while ago when I was stuck inside and had nothing better to do, I looked up each of the U.S. state names in the Explore tab and was surprised to see that of the fifty states, all but two (New Hampshire and Rhode Island) are represented by default English species names in the iNat database. I figured it could be a fun waste of time to see how many state names are represented on my life list and to see if anyone comes close to all 50 (48).
How many state names are represented on your life list? For non-U.S. iNatters, this could be adapted for administrative regions in other countries as well.
My list: 16/48
- Arizona Net-winged Beetle/Sycamore/Gray Squirrel/Woodpecker/Cotton Rat/Pencil Cholla/Tan Mantis/Mantis
- Arkansas Yucca
- California Vole/Poppy/Scrub-Jay/Towhee/Ground Squirrel/Sagebrush/Barberry/Root Borer Beetle/Gull/Quail/Newt/Sea Lion/Thrasher
- Colorado Potato Beetle/Chipmunk/Pinyon
- Florida Red-bellied Cooter
- Illinois Bundleflower
- Kentucky Warbler
- Mississippi Kite
- Missouri Milkvetch
- Ohio Buckeye
- Oklahoma Salamander
- Pennsylvania Wood Cockroach
- Tennessee Warbler
- Texas Paintbrush/Horned Lizard/Brown Tarantula
- Virginia Opossum/Spring Beauty/Bluebells/Creeper/Dayflower/Groundcherry/Mountain Mint/Rail/Wildrye
- Wyoming Ground Squirrel
The criteria I applied are arbitrary (as are all species names), so any and all of them can be disregarded. The criteria I used are below:
- I separated the Carolinas and the Virginias because there are specific representatives of each of the directional names (e.g. North Carolina Spiny Crayfish, South Carolina Slimy Salamander, West Virginia White), but I lumped the Dakotas together because there are no species that specifically represent either state (i.e. I would count Dakota Mock Vervain for both Dakotas, but I donβt count Carolina Wren for either of the Carolinas)
- I only included species for which I have at least one verifiable observation on iNat
- I used common names instead of scientific names because I found them to be more easily recognizable, and this is all for fun anyway
- I only included the default name of each species to avoid redundancies (e.g. Texas Brown Tarantula Aphonopelma hentzi has the alternate names βMissouri Brown Tarantulaβ and βOklahoma Brown Tarantulaβ listed in the database)
- I only used names at the species level (e.g. no Oregon Junco)
- I would have included U.S. territories if any were relevant to my life list
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*clears throat * Rhode Island Redβ¦ given itβs just a breed of domestic chicken and not represented in iNat, but it still has the name Rhode Island.
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I would say that doesnβt count as a species level name.
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I have the fowelling:
- New York Aster
- virginia creeper
these are lesser used common names:
- californian thistle (also called creeping thistle)
- big Michigan mayfly (also called giant mayfly)
- misori violet (also called common blue violet)
- pennsylvania leatherwing (also called goldenrod soldier beetle)
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- California Cloverworm Moth + California Gull + California Poppy
- Montana Six-plume Moth
And thatβs not counting all the "Canada"s, all the "European"s, and all the "American"s!
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I am from India and this is the list of the species with State names-
Kerala Mud Snake, Kerala Warty Frog and a damselfly with species name keralensis with
the State name Kerala(where I am from).
Bengal Monitor with Bengal
I also have species like Malabar parakeet, Malabar Pit Viper, Malabar Grey Hornbill,
Malabar Trogon etc with Malabar
Nilgiri Tahr, Nilgiri Langur, Nilgiri Flycatcher etc with Nilgiri
Gluta travancorica is a tree with species name referring to Travancore etc are referred to
the Western Ghats Region mostly to the South namely the states Kerala, Tamil Nadu and
Karnataka.
Kodaikanal Bush Frog and Palani Laughing Thrush have the name referring to Kodaikanal
and Palani which are in Tamil Nadu but is found in Western Ghats in the border between
Tamil Nadu and Kerala
I have a dragonfly species with the species name *konkanensis* which refers to
Konkan Coast in the state of Karnataka
Most of which I said above are endemic species.
I have a lot of species with Indian and some with Sri Lankan, Asian or Eurasian in their
names
Edit: How did some sentences become like that?
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- Tennessee Thread-waisted Ant
- Tennessee Warbler
- Tennessee Snubnose Darter
- Tennessee Chickweed
- Tennessee Shiner.
- Virginia Spring Beauty
- Virginia Waterleaf
- Virginia Opossum
- Virginia Roundleaf Birch
- Virginia Creeper Sphinx
- Virginia Pine
- Virginia Rail
- Virginia Meadowbeauty
- Virginia Wild Rye
- Virginia Creeper
- Virginia Strawberry.
- Carolina Satyr
- Carolina Rose
- Carolina Mountain Dusky Salamander
- Carolina Junco
- Carolina Spring Beauty
- Carolina Saddlebags
- Carolina Bugbane
- Carolina Lily
- Carolina Chickadee
- Carolina Horsenettle
- Carolina Wren
- Carolina Hemlock
- Carolina Ruellia
- Carolina Mantis
- Carolina Rose
- Carolina Grasshopper
- Carolina Buckthorn
- Carolina Cranesbill
- Carolina Ground Cricket
- Carolina Mantleslug
- Pennsylvania Leatherwing
- Pennsylvania Blackberry
- Pennsylvania Bittercress
- Pennsylvania Ponera
- Pennsylvania Sedge
- Pennsylvania Wood Roach
- New Jersey Tea
- New York Fern
- New York Ironweed
- New York Scalewort
- Maryland Golden-aster
- Maryland Meadow-beauty
- βMaryland Yellowthroatβ
- Georgia Flat-backed Millipede
- βGeorgiaβ Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)
- West Virginia White
- Florida Harvester Ant
- Florida Pompano
- Ohio Spiderwort
- Kentucky Warbler
- Kentucky Coffeetree.
- Kansas Bog Lemming
- Texas Gray
- Colorado Potato Beetle
- Louisiana Waterthrush
- Illinois Bundleflower
- Delaware Skipper
And thatβs all I can think of right now. But hey, 16 states!
Revised to add more; now Iβm genuinely interested haha. 19 so far.
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Quite a few taxa, only 9/50 statesβ¦
Arkansas Yucca - Yucca arkansana
Carolina Chickadee - Poecile carolinensis
Carolina Grasshopper - Dissosteira carolina
Carolina Laurelcherry - Prunus caroliniana
Carolina Buckthorn - Frangula caroliniana
Carolina Desert-Chicory - Pyrrhopappus carolinus
Carolina Craneβs-Bill - Geranium carolinianum
Carolina Water-Hyssop - Bacopa caroliniana
Carolina Snailseed - Cocculus carolinus
Carolina Ponysfoot - Dichondra carolinensis
Carolina Bristlemallow - Modiola caroliniana
Carolina Holly - Ilex ambigua
Carolina Canarygrass - Phalaris caroliniana
Carolina Redroot - Lachnanthes caroliniana
Delaware Skipper - Anatrytone logan
Florida Pompano - Trachinotus carolinus
Florida Harvester Ant - Pogonomyrmex badius
Florida Beggarweed - Desmodium tortuosum
Florida Rosemary - Ceratiola ericoides
Florida Yellow Bladderwort - Utricularia floridana
Florida Hammock Sandmat - Euphorbia ophthalmica
Greater Florida Spurge - Euphorbia floridana
Florida Paspalum - Paspalum floridanum
Illinois Bundleflower - Desmanthus illinoensis
Oklahoma Blackberry - Rubus oklahomus
Pennsylvania Blackberry - Rubus pensilvanicus
Pennsylvania Everlasting - Gamochaeta pensylvanica
Texas Spiny Lizard - Sceloporus olivaceus
Texas Liptooth - Linisa texasiana
Texas Oval - Patera roemeri
Texas Flower Scarab - Trichiotinus texanus
Texas Bow-legged Bug - Hyalymenus tarsatus
Texas Bluebonnet - Lupinus texensis
Texas Bush-Clover - Lespedeza texana
Texas Mulberry - Morus microphylla
Texas Prickly Pear - Opuntia lindheimeri
Texas Thistle - Cirsium texanum
Texas Snakeweed - Gutierrezia texana
Texas Yellow Star - Lindheimera texana
Texas Blueweed - Helianthus ciliaris
Texas Live Oak - Quercus fusiformis
Texas Paintbrush - Castilleja indivisa
Texas Ash - Fraxinus albicans
Texas Vervain - Verbena halei
Texas Lantana - Lantana x urticoides
Texas Bindweed - Convolvulus equitans
Texas Prairie Parsley - Polytaenia texana
Texas Stillingia - Stillingia texana
Texas Bull Nettle - Cnidoscolus texanus
Texas Bluegrass - Poa arachnifera
Texas Winter Grass - Nasella leucotricha
Virginia Opposum - Didelphis virginiana
Virginia Chainfern - Woodwardia virginica
Virginia Spring Beauty - Claytonia virginica
Virginia Three-seed Mercury - Acalypha virginica
Virginia Pepperweed - Lepidium virginicum
Virginia Creeper - Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Virginia Wildrye - Elymus virginicus
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NZ version possibilities:
Naultinus grayii - Northland Green Gecko
Hemideina thoracica - Auckland Tree Weta
Drymaplaneta semivitta - Gisborne Cockroach
Pennisetum purpureum - Napier Grass [for Hawkes Bay]
[no Bay of Plenty]
[no Taranaki]
Maoricicada hamiltoni - Hamiltonβs Cicada [for Waikato]
Hemideina crassidens - Wellington Tree Weta
Micromus tasmaniae - Tasmanian Lacewing [for Tasman]
Pachystegia insignis - Marlborough Rock Daisy
Naultinus tuberculatus - West Coast Green Gecko
Hemideina femorata - Canterbury Tree Weta
Phalacrocorax chalconotus ssp. chalconotus - Otago Shag
Eudyptes pachyrhynchus - Fiordland Crested Penguin [for Southland]
my scores in boldβ¦ I donβt get out of town much!
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I have 11 states.
Carolina Chickadee
Carolinian Elegant
Carolina Grasshopper
Carolina Ground Cricket
Carolina Horsenettle
Carolina Mantis
Carolina Mantleslug
Carolina Ruellia
Carolina Sphynx
Carolina Spring-Beauty
Carolina Sweetshrub
Carolina Wren
Florida Brownsnake
Florida Cottonmouth
Florida Gar
Florida Leatherleaf Slug
Florida Predatory Stinkbug
Florida Red-bellied Cooter
Florida Scrub Lizard
Florida Softshell Turtle
Georgia Flat-backed Millipede
Louisiana Waterthrush
Maryland Meadowbeauty
New York Fern
New York Scalewort
Ohio Buckeye
Pennsylvania Leatherwing
Pennsylvania Ponera
Tennessee Thread-waisted Ant
Texas Mocis Moth
Virginia Bluebells
Virginia Chainfern
Virginia Creeper
Virginia Creeper Clearwing
Virginia Marsh St. Johnβs-Wort
Virginia Opossum
Virginia Pine
Virginia Rail
Virginia Saxifrage
Virginia Spring Beauty
Virginian Tiger Moth
Virginia Waterleaf
Virginia Wood Cockroach
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Out of 85 regions I have:
- ΠΡΠ°Π΅Π³Π»Π°Π·ΠΊΠ° ΠΠ΅ΡΠ΅ΡΠ±ΡΡΠ³ΡΠΊΠ°Ρ - Saint-Petersburg
- ΠΠΎΡΠΊΠΎΠ²ΠΊΠ° - Moscow
-
Crimean bingo here I come: ΠΡΡΠΌΡΠΊΠ°Ρ ΡΡΠ΅ΡΠΈΡΠ°, ΠΏΠΈΠΎΠ½ ΠΊΡΡΠΌΡΠΊΠΈΠΉ, ΠΊΡΡΠΌΡΠΊΠΈΠΉ ΡΠΊΠ²ΠΎΡΠ΅Ρ (ssp.), ΠΊΠΈΠ²ΡΡΠΊ ΠΊΡΡΠΌΡΠΊΠΈΠΉ, ΠΎΠ½ΠΎΡΠΌΠ° ΠΊΡΡΠΌΡΠΊΠ°Ρ, ΠΆΠ΅Π»Π΅Π·Π½ΠΈΡΠ° ΠΊΡΡΠΌΡΠΊΠ°Ρ, ΠΏΠΎΠ»ΡΠ½Ρ ΠΊΡΡΠΌΡΠΊΠ°Ρ, ΡΠ°ΡΠ°ΡΠ½ΠΈΠΊ ΠΊΡΡΠΌΡΠΊΠΈΠΉ, ΠΊΠΎΠ»ΠΎΠΊΠΎΠ»ΡΡΠΈΠΊ ΠΊΡΡΠΌΡΠΊΠΈΠΉ (ssp.), Π»Π°Π΄Π°Π½Π½ΠΈΠΊ ΠΊΡΡΠΌΡΠΊΠΈΠΉ, ΠΆΡΠΆΠ΅Π»ΠΈΡΠ° ΠΊΡΡΠΌΡΠΊΠ°Ρ (ssp.), ΠΏΡΠΎΠ»Π΅ΡΠ½ΠΈΠΊ ΠΊΡΡΠΌΡΠΊΠΈΠΉ, ΡΠ³Π»ΠΎΡΡΠ΅Π±Π΅Π»ΡΠ½ΠΈΠΊ ΠΊΡΡΠΌΡΠΊΠΈΠΉ
- ΠΠ΅ΡΡΠ΅Π½ΠΈΡΠ° Π°Π»ΡΠ°ΠΉΡΠΊΠ°Ρ, Π°Π»ΡΠ°ΠΉΡΠΊΠ°Ρ Π±Π΅Π»ΠΊΠ° (ssp.) - Altai Republic + Altai Krai
- ΠΠΈΠ²ΡΠ½ΠΈΠΊ ΠΈΡΠΊΡΡΡΠΊΠΈΠΉ - Irkutsk Oblast
- ΠΠ°ΡΡΠΊ ΡΠ°ΡΠ°ΡΡΠΊΠΈΠΉ, ΠΊΠ»ΡΠ½ ΡΠ°ΡΠ°ΡΡΠΊΠΈΠΉ, Π»Π΅Π±Π΅Π΄Π° ΡΠ°ΡΠ°ΡΡΠΊΠ°Ρ, ΠΆΠΈΠΌΠΎΠ»ΠΎΡΡΡ ΡΠ°ΡΠ°ΡΡΠΊΠ°Ρ - Tatarstan
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So far Iβve been to 27 states but I usually go on roadtrips with friends so I donβt have much meticulous iNatting time, more like a couple of quick stops during hikes of easy to photograph life. Still, I love species that have the region theyβre found in as their common names (like Allegheny blackberries or New England asters) or the biome in which theyβre found (like saltmarsh cordgrass) so something like this is right up my alley. Iβll be sure to be on the lookout for life with the state names in them, thanks for the idea.
So far I have:
New York Carpenter Ant (RG)
New York Ironweed
New York Fern (RG)
Maryland Senna (RG)
Pennsylvania Blackberry
Arizona Sister (RG)
Virginia Spring Beauty (RG)
Virginia Creeper (RG)
Carolina Wren (RG)
Carolina Grasshopper (RG)
Carolina Wolf Spider
Carolina Mantis (RG)
Carolina Rose (RG)
Florida Gar (RG)
Then I have a couple of related things like Milwaukee Mining Bee and a few species with the Latin name containing the state name (Larus Delawarensis or Alligator Mississipiensis) but until thereβs a new default common name for any of those Iβll keep them in the tentative pile.
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Since the forum uses Markdown, if you start a line with "> " it gets put into a block quote box.
I found 18/48 states in my observations. For the purposes I merged the Dakotas and Carolinas, counted scientific names, and included a few Iβve seen but havenβt managed to post on iNaturalist (marked as *).
California: California Poppy, California Ground Squirrel, California Scrub-Jay*
Carolinas: Carolina Horsenettle, Carolina Wren, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Grasshopper, Carolina Saddlebags, Carolina Mantis
Colorado: Colorado Potato Beetle
Connecticut: Connecticut Warbler*
Delaware: Delaware Skipper
Florida: Florida Tetanolita Moth
Georgia: Georgia Mason Bee
Kentucky: Kentucky Coffeetree, Kentucky Bluegrass, Kentucky Warbler*
Louisiana: Louisiana Waterthrush*
Maryland: Maryland Golden-Aster
Mississippi: Mississippi Kite*
Montana: Chestnut Oak, Quercus montana
Nevada: Hydriomena nevadae
New Jersey: New Jersey Blueberry
New York: New York Fern, New York Aster, New York Ironweed, New York Scalewort
Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Ambush Bug
Tennessee: Tennessee Warbler
Virginia: Virginia Opossum, Virginia Wildrye, Virginia Creeper, Virginia Pepperweed, Virginia Spring Beauty, Virginia Strawberry, Virginia Spiderwort, Virginia Bluebells, Virginia Glasswort, Virginia Pine
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Just California somethings⦠78 (update: 80) of them!
I will look for the other states in my observations during the next geek hour. I know I have Virginia Rail and Opossum, and Texas Range Grasshopper. But there should be hopefully a few more.
@scubabruin.
Plus one more, Dasymutilla californica, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/64182163, total of 79!
Plus Ulva californica, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/68005090, total of 80.
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Iβve never been to India, but isnβt Kerala the state where the public health woman kept infection to a very low rate? Saw her mentioned in the Guardian!
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I think it was βtongue in cheekβ!