Regions
Nature by region
How landscapes and ecosystems change across the country, region by region.
Northeast
- Characteristic landscapes
- Rolling forested mountains, rocky coastline, lakes and river valleys.
- Ecosystems
- Northern hardwood and mixed conifer forest, salt marsh and cold-water streams.
- Representative species
- Moose, white-tailed deer, loons, harbour seals.
- Known natural areas
- Acadia National Park, the Adirondacks, the White and Green Mountains.
Southeast
- Characteristic landscapes
- Coastal plains, barrier islands, swamps and ancient low mountains.
- Ecosystems
- Longleaf pine woodland, cypress swamp, subtropical wetland.
- Representative species
- Alligators, wading birds, black bears, sea turtles.
- Known natural areas
- Great Smoky Mountains, Everglades, the Outer Banks.
Midwest
- Characteristic landscapes
- Prairie, farmland, glacial lakes and the Great Lakes shoreline.
- Ecosystems
- Tallgrass and mixed-grass prairie, oak savanna, freshwater dunes.
- Representative species
- Bison in preserves, sandhill cranes, white-tailed deer.
- Known natural areas
- Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Isle Royale, Indiana Dunes.
Southwest
- Characteristic landscapes
- Deserts, canyons, mesas and isolated mountain ranges.
- Ecosystems
- Sonoran, Mojave and Chihuahuan desert, piñon-juniper woodland.
- Representative species
- Desert tortoise, roadrunner, bighorn sheep, rattlesnakes.
- Known natural areas
- Grand Canyon, Saguaro, Big Bend, Canyonlands.
West
- Characteristic landscapes
- High mountains, basins, volcanic plateaus and Pacific shoreline.
- Ecosystems
- Alpine tundra, sagebrush steppe, chaparral, kelp forest.
- Representative species
- Elk, marmots, condors, sea otters.
- Known natural areas
- Yellowstone, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain National Park, Big Sur.
Pacific Northwest
- Characteristic landscapes
- Temperate rainforest, glaciated volcanoes and wild coast.
- Ecosystems
- Coastal rainforest, salmon rivers, intertidal shoreline.
- Representative species
- Roosevelt elk, salmon, orcas, bald eagles.
- Known natural areas
- Olympic National Park, Mount Rainier, Crater Lake, the Columbia River Gorge.
Alaska
- Characteristic landscapes
- Glaciers, tundra, boreal forest, fjords and vast river deltas.
- Ecosystems
- Arctic and alpine tundra, taiga, coastal marine systems.
- Representative species
- Brown bears, caribou, moose, humpback whales, puffins.
- Known natural areas
- Denali, Kenai Fjords, Glacier Bay, Katmai.
Hawaii
- Characteristic landscapes
- Volcanic islands with rainforest, dry leeward slopes and coral reefs.
- Ecosystems
- Tropical rainforest, lava fields, reef and nearshore marine habitat.
- Representative species
- Native honeycreepers, green sea turtles, monk seals, humpback whales in season.
- Known natural areas
- Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Haleakalā, coastal reef areas.