Identify the plants you’ll see right along the trail!
Quickly find, identify, and learn about the amazing range of plants and fungi growing along the Appalachian Trail. It’s easy with this guide, organized by type, color, and trail section. With hundreds of color photos and lively, accessible descriptions, there’s so much you can learn. Keep an eye out for flame azaleas, violet coral fungi, pink lady slipper orchids, and oak trees that are hundreds of years old.
Whether you’re enjoying a day hike, exploring with your family, or setting out on the trek of a lifetime, you’ll forge a deeper connection with nature through the beautiful plants on display mile after mile.
Dr. Kristen Wickert is a natural resources scientist who enjoys a day hike as much as a backpacking trip that lasts for months. Her passion for understanding the forest and its inhabitants began during her childhood, spent roughly a mile from the Appalachian Trail. It evolved to a professional level with her bachelors of forest science from Penn State, her masters and doctorate in forest plant pathology from West Virginia University, and her later work as an entomologist and plant pathologist. Through her Instagram account (@KaydubsTheHikingScientist) she shares a core message: Each of us can care for the ecosystem by providing habitats for native flora, fungi, and fauna in our own backyards.
