Land of Diversity

Few places in North America sustain a greater variety of life than the Great Smoky Mountains. The forests, streams, and meadows there support more than 100 types of trees, 58 kinds of fish, some 1,500 flowering plants, more than 200 bird species, and an array of mammals that includes black bear, red wolf, and gray fox. This abundance results from topography and climate, as varying elevations provide endless combinations of moisture, temperature, wind, sunlight, and soil types. Most plant species of eastern North America can find a niche somewhere among the slopes and coves of the Smokies, and in a few cases the region has nurtured species all its own, with some plants and animals found nowhere else.

North Carolina · United States