Native Talk Tuesday #14

For today's Native Talk, I will actually talk about two non-native species--a rodent and a plant.

The animal featured in today's Native Talk Tuesday is Myocastor coypus, commonly known as the Coypu or Nutria. This river rat frequents shallow-water environments such as ponds and streams. Originally brought into North America from South America as a source of fur pelts, it is now considered an invasive species. Easily identifiable, the Nutria is as big as a beaver, but lacks the paddle-tail. The Nutria below was found at Ankeny Wildlife Refuge, south of Salem.

The plant featured in today's Native Talk Tuesday is Veronica chamaedrys, commonly known as the Birdseye Speedwell. This type of speedwell is native to Europe and Asia and was most likely brought over to America by someone you wanted it in their garden. The plant below was found at Stayton's Wilderness Park.