BeastiestoBesties

Every Beastie needs a Bestie, Delaware has 1,019.

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Our Wild Neighbors Are Family!

Explore the Clans. Meet Their Kin

Delaware’s Wildlife Action Plan names 1,019 Species of Greatest Conservation Need, meaning these are the wild neighbors who need our help most. Sorting them into 12 Clans makes it easier to get to know them.

the places we call home

We Live Where They Live

Delaware is a small wonder of diverse ecoregions and microhabitats that are unique to our geography. The result is an abundance of native and migratory species that rely on the bounty of Delaware habitat.

Bay & Beach Salt Marsh Fresh Water Wetlands Forest & Pines Field & Meadow

Aphrodite Fritillary, painted by Helen E. Raleigh

the tideline, the crab spawn, the flyway; the grass that breathes with the tide; rivers, ponds and the Great Cypress Swamp; the wet, low, blooming ground; the canopy and the needled floor; the sunlit fields open, full of pollinators

What’s Good for Them Is Good for Us…

Get Matched. Meet Your Beastie. Make Your Move!

Who’s Your Beastie?

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Love at
First Sight Where
I Live Surprise
Me

Let’s make Delaware the first state with no species of greatest concern.

Dear Fellow Delawareans,

What started as a planting project for pollinators turned into something more when I learned about Delaware’s 1,019 species of greatest concern. I found a long list of names with no faces to go with them. My art background kicked in and I got inspired. Now I’m wondering what would happen if you got inspired, too? Introducing Beasties to Besties. 1,019 very good reasons to meet and care about our wild neighbors.

Every Beastie needs a Bestie.
Delaware has 1,019. 🌻

Helen

what’s next

Mapping Connections

Once the whole Bestiary is filled in, we can start to look at how the species relate — and every connection points to another way to help. Here’s just one — who needs whom:

Rufa Red Knot

Wings · Bay & Beach

can't survive without

Horseshoe Crab

Armors · Bay & Beach

No crab eggs, no Rufa Red Knot. One little thread, and you can already see why the whole bay matters.

Explore the Map →

take one home