I love nature, I love art, and I love organized data, so my free time means organizing nature data into great-looking infographics. My latest project is a series of state-based species infographics, specifically a visual representation of all fish species in Iowa.
With an iPad, an Apple Pencil, and the Procreate drawing program, I’ve hand-drawn hundreds of fish species. Each illustration lists the common name and scientific name under each species. To finish it off, I compiled all the species drawings in Adobe Illustrator to create the state outline format.
I used data from Global Biodiversity Information Facility and data from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The different data sets disagree on which species are actually present in a given state. Some data include species that would be extremely unlikely to be in a given location. For example, a single data point for a tropical species might be listed in a boreal habitat and that species doesn’t have a history of migrating so I can tell it was probably an accidental or intentional release.
Many folks are familiar with Bluegill, or Walleye, or Largemouth Bass, but there are many interesting and colorful species to be found in the region’s lakes, streams, rivers, and wetlands. From colorful dace, shiners, and darters, to large and ancient sturgeon and paddlefish, the diversity of fish species in these states is spectacular! Unfortunately, some of these species are quickly disappearing due to land use patterns, water pollution, and changes to waterway channels such as dams.
These pieces of art are perfect for the cabin, or as a gift for those learning more about nature, or just as an interesting piece to hang on the wall to impress those data and nature nerds in your life!
You can buy posters, stickers, cards, shirts, mugs and more here:
You can also find my previous fish infographics here:
Minnesota Fishes (Redbubble)
