Amidst the rich patchwork of Pennsylvania’s flora and fauna, few inspire more wonder or enchantment than our native butterflies and moths. With their vibrant colors and patterning, delicate forms, and graceful flight, these winged mosaics have captivated our collective imagination for centuries. Moths and butterflies are both members of the order Lepidoptera, a name derived from the Greek terms “lepis,” meaning scale, and “pteron,” meaning wing. In fact, all moths and butterflies are entirely covered in tiny scales! Another defining feature of Lepidopteran species is complete metamorphosis, meaning they undergo distinct life stages, each completely different from one another. Butterflies and moths have a symbiotic relationship with the native flora, meaning a close, long-term interaction, in which each organism is mutually benefited.

Located in West Philadelphia, John Heinz serves both as a state funded zone of protection for some of Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable wildlife, and as an educational hub for students and residents across Philadelphia County. John Heinz Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum was founded in 1972 after lobbying by concerned citizens as the last local marsh was threatened by industrial expansion. When settlers arrived in Pennsylvania in the 1600s, a process of draining and filling the marshland to create grazing land for livestock reduced the size of marsh from approximately 5200 acres to just under 350 by the 20th century. John Heinz was founded to protect this last remaining swath of marshland and an additional 1000 acres of woods, meadow, and mud flats that surround it. 

Of all the wonderful creatures that inhabit the Amazon rainforest, one of the most distinct and well-known is the toucan. The most vulnerable toucan species is called the Channel-Billed, and Hagopian Arts is excited to shine a light on this lesser-known tropical bird. The Channel-Billed Toucan can be identified by the soft grooves that run down the sides of its iconic beak and its dazzling black, red, and orange plumage. Toucans like this one range from Central America all the way to northern Argentina, with their concentration being highest in the humid lowland forests of Bolivia.

If you live in America, it’s likely you’ve seen a Barn Swallow. These dashing acrobats dart through the air in order to catch insects, then return to man-made structures where they build their nests out of mud pellets and grass. Their deep blue markings, orange chests, and striking forked tails make them a treasured sight in America. 

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These beautiful birds have been friends of people in America for centuries, and signal the coming of spring as they make their annual migration back from South America. Swallows are incredible long-distance migrants, flying up to two hundred miles per day in order to reach appropriate temperatures throughout the year. 

 Amphibians are a class of cold-blooded, semi-aquatic creatures that are divided into three orders: Apoda (caecilians, or limbless serpentines), Anura (frogs and toads),  and Urodela (salamanders). Amphibians are found on every continent except for Antarctica and feature some of the more bizarre and wonderful adaptations the animal kingdom has to offer. They come in a surprising range of sizes, the smallest measuring at just a third of an inch (A frog from New Guinea called Paedophryne Amanuensis) and the largest at nearly six feet long (The Chinese Giant Salamander, Andrias davidianus).

Asian Arowanas are freshwater bony fish that are native to the lakes, slow-moving rivers, forested wetlands and swamps of Southeast Asia. Since the 1970s, Asian Arowanas have caught the attention of aquarists internationally for their captivating scales and brilliant colors. Arowanas have become infamous for being the most expensive fish in the world; however, the economy surrounding their breeding and purchase has failed to benefit their native habitat.

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Arowanas are coveted for their brilliant armored scales, which come in a variety of naturally-occurring colors. They are considered primitive fish, with little evolutionary differences noted between modern members of their genus and their ancestors from over 140 million years ago.