Google Scholar searches many academic journals and books that are freely available online. You will still need to search the library's subscription databases, which contain many sources that are not available for free.
Suggested keyword searches: name of animal or plant ("honeybee" or "birch tree"); state or region ("New England" or "northeast"); habitat ("forest," "wetlands," etc.). To narrow down your search, try combining terms (for example, "honeybee" and "New England")
For access to the databases from off campus, email the librarians for passwords.