Hobbies And Interests
Plants
Southern Illinois features many wildlife preserves and state parks home to many species of trees and plants. For example, the Cache River State Natural Area is home to cypress trees older than the United States, dating back over 1,000 years. Some of these massive ancients grow to be larger than 40 feet in circumference at their base. The nearby Beall Woods State Park is one of the last areas of untouched forest east of the Mississippi River with old-growth trees standing over 120-feet tall. Southern Illinois is also home to poison ivy, so keep your eyes open if you're hiking in the area.
Reptiles and Amphibians
With a large portion of Southern Illinois covered in swampland and dense forests, the region is home to many reptiles and amphibians including multiple species of salamander's, frogs, turtles and lizards. Southern Illinois is home to three native species of venomous snakes which residents or hikers should be wary of when in nature. The timber rattlesnake, the copperhead and the Eastern cottonmouth, or water moccasin, are all common within Southern Illinois. While the timber rattlesnake and the copperhead inhabit rocky and dry upland areas, the most dangerous of all, the Eastern cottonmouth, inhabits the Southern Illinois swamps and wetlands.
Birds
Similar to the range of diversity found with other animals, Southern Illinois is home to many different bird species, including the majestic bald eagle, the national bird of the United States. The area is also home to multiple owl species, including both the barred and great horned owls. The area is inhabited by red-tailed hawks, red-headed and pileated woodpeckers, black and turkey vultures, quail, woodcock, mallards, snow geese, great blue, little blue and green herons and many more.
Mammals
Southern Illinois is home to multiple carnivorous mammals, including coyotes, gray and red foxes, mountain lions, bobcats. Other mammals, like the white-tailed deer, raccoon, mink, long-tailed weasel and striped skunk make their homes throughout the entire state, including the South. Rodents native to Southern Illinois include the cotton mouse, marsh rice rat, eastern wood rat and golden mouse. Other mammals native to Southern Illinois include the Northern and Southern short-tailed shrew, the pygmy shrew, Southeastern shrew, the Southern and gray myotis, the swamp rabbit and Rafinesque's big-eared bat.