Tuesday, June 4, 2019

WILDLIFE IN THE AMERICAN WEST By Cheri Kay Clifton


As western authors, we know that the settings are as important as our characters and plots. We want our readers to get a clear and vibrant sense of the western locations in which our stories take place.

One way I use to engage my readers and enhance the believability of my fictional books is to be sure to include the sights and sounds of western wildlife common to the story’s location, be it in the prairies, great plains, mountains, or deserts.

Below is a compilation of commonly found wildlife in the Western United States.

GREAT PLAINS & PRAIRIES:

American Bison
Pronghorn Antelope
Mule Deer
Black Tailed Jackrabbit
Whitetail Deer
Prairie Dog
Ferret
Coyote
Grey Wolf
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake
Badger
Golden Eagle
Prairie Falcon
Prairie Chicken
Western Meadowlark

MOUNTAINS ELEVATION 5000 & ABOVE

Elk (Wapiti – is a Native American word meaning “white rump)
Blacktailed Deer
Bighorn Sheep
Rocky Mountain Goat
Grizzly Bear
Black Bear
Mountain Lion
Bobcat
Wolf
Beaver
Porcupine
Tree Martin
Great Horned Owl
Peregrine Falcon
Moose
Mountain Cickadee
Downy Woodpecker
Mountain Jay
Western Bluebird

DESERTS:

Blacktail Deer
Pronghorn Antelope
Desert Bighorn
Antelope Jackrabbit
Coyote
Desert Woodrat
Mountain Lion
Jaguar
Desert Tortoise
Roadrunner
Trap Door Spider
Gila Monster
Harris Hawk
Common Raven
Quail
Desert Sidewinder Snake
Desert Iguana
Stink Bug

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! 






Grab your reins and read the epic historical western romances
in the Wheels of Destiny Series.

Book 1, Trail To Destiny - A turbulent cross-country journey
of heated passion, bitter vengeance and a haunted
past lead Grey Wolf & Laura on their Trail To Destiny.
Book 2, Destiny's Journey - Family deception kept Jennifer O’Malley from marrying her first love ten years ago, West Point officer, Glen Herrington.  Now a Civil War widow, she leaves war-torn Richmond, determined to find her destiny.  She makes the long journey west in search of Glen, only to discover he is a notorious outlaw with a price on his head.


2 comments:

  1. Dear Cheri, thank you for this most useful post divided by elevation and terrain. Your "Destiny" series looks so interesting. Great covers!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Gini, for stopping by. I'm working on Book 3 of the Wheels of Destiny Trilogy, which is a time-travel.

    ReplyDelete

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