Find Nature In Indiana

Additional Wildlife of Indiana

To flesh out your understanding of the region’s natural history, here is a breakdown of the specific taxa you can expect to encounter in the Hoosier State.

Birds (Avifauna) Indiana hosts one of the greatest avian spectacles on the continent at the Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area. Each fall, tens of thousands of Sandhill Cranes congregate here during their migration, filling the air with their prehistoric rattling calls. The state is also a focal point for the reintroduction of the federally endangered Whooping Crane, which can sometimes be seen mixing with the Sandhill flocks. In the southern forests, the Cerulean Warbler finds a stronghold, nesting high in the canopy of white oaks on steep slopes.

Mammals The Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalis) is the conservation flagship of the state. This federally endangered species was discovered here and relies entirely on the limestone caves of southern Indiana for hibernation; in summer, they migrate north to roost under the peeling bark of shagbark hickories. The River Otter has made a remarkable comeback; reintroduction efforts in the 1990s have led to a thriving population across the state’s watersheds. White-tailed Deer are abundant, particularly in the forest-field distinct zones of the central region, often requiring management to protect understory plant diversity.

Insects The Say’s Firefly is the state insect, named after Thomas Say, a naturalist who lived in the historic utopian community of New Harmony, Indiana. The Karner Blue Butterfly maintains a fragile existence in the oak savannas of the Dunes region. Indiana is also home to the Regal Fritillary, a large and striking prairie butterfly that has become exceedingly rare as the native grasslands have disappeared, surviving now only in high-quality remnant prairies.

Plants The Tulip Tree (Yellow Poplar) is the state tree, a towering hardwood that can reach massive proportions in the fertile soils of the south, known for its distinct, tulip-shaped orange and green flowers. The forest floors in April and May are celebrated for their displays of Virginia Bluebells, which carpet the floodplains in vast seas of blue. In the specialized habitat of the dunes, you find Marram Grass, a pioneer species whose complex root systems are the primary stabilizers of the shifting sands, allowing other plants to eventually take hold.

Fungi Indiana is part of the “Morel Belt,” where the hunt for Morel Mushrooms (Morchella) in the spring borders on obsession. They are frequently associated with dead elm trees and living tulip poplars. The Giant Puffball is a common late-summer find in meadows and forest edges, growing to the size of a soccer ball and filled with trillions of spores. In the damp ravines of places like Turkey Run State Park, you can find the Eyelash Cup fungus, a tiny, bright orange mushroom bordered with stiff dark hairs that resemble eyelashes.

Indiana Biodiversity Profile

Indiana is a state defined by the footprint of the Wisconsin Glacier, which flattened the northern two-thirds of the state but stopped short of the south, creating two distinct ecological worlds. The Northern Moraine and Lake Country is a landscape of kettle lakes, wetlands, and fens left behind by the retreating ice. This region includes the Indiana Dunes along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, a site of global biological significance. It was here that Henry Chandler Cowles developed the concept of ecological succession, observing how plant communities transition from open sand to mature forest. The Dunes represent a botanical meeting ground where arctic bearberry grows alongside desert prickly pear cactus, a testament to the moderating influence of the lake and the unique microclimates of the dune swales.

South of the lakes lies the Central Till Plain, a vast, flat expanse with some of the richest soils on the continent. Historically, this was a mosaic of beech-maple forests and tallgrass prairie openings. While largely converted to agriculture, the remaining woodlots serve as critical islands for biodiversity, particularly for woodland salamanders and spring ephemeral wildflowers. The loss of the original “Grand Kankakee Marsh”—once one of the largest freshwater wetlands in North America—remains a defining ghost in the state’s ecological history, though restoration efforts are slowly bringing parts of these “Everglades of the North” back to life.

The Southern Hills and Lowlands escaped the flattening effects of the glaciers. This region is characterized by deep ravines, steep bedrock ridges, and extensive hardwood forests. It sits atop a limestone foundation that has dissolved over millions of years to create a Karst landscape, riddled with sinkholes and vast cave systems. These subterranean environments are stable, constant-temperature refuges that support specialized, often blind, cave organisms and massive hibernacula for bats.

Finally, the Wabash River valley functions as a major artery for the state. As the longest free-flowing river east of the Mississippi, it maintains a natural flood pulse that is essential for the spawning of large river fish and the replenishment of floodplain forests, which harbor some of the largest sycamore and cottonwood trees in the Midwest.