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Long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum), North Cascades National Park, 2015.

North Cascades NP is one of the most biodiverse places in the entire National Park System, with over 1600 plant species identified and approximately 75 mammals, 20 reptiles and amphibians, 200 birds, 28 species More

Sage Creek Basin Overlook - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery

Sage Creek Basin Overlook displays the prairie of the Wilderness Area, where many animal and plant species thrive.

Views at Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Preserve, Colorado

Nestled in southern Colorado, North America's tallest dunes rise over 750 feet high against the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The wind shaped dunes glow beneath the rugged backdrop of the mountains. This g More

Views at Point Reyes National Seashore, California

Point Reyes National Seashore contains unique elements of biological and historical interest in a spectacularly scenic panorama of thunderous ocean breakers, open grasslands, bushy hillsides and forested ridges More

Views at Point Reyes National Seashore, California

Point Reyes National Seashore contains unique elements of biological and historical interest in a spectacularly scenic panorama of thunderous ocean breakers, open grasslands, bushy hillsides and forested ridges More

Views at Point Reyes National Seashore, California

Point Reyes National Seashore contains unique elements of biological and historical interest in a spectacularly scenic panorama of thunderous ocean breakers, open grasslands, bushy hillsides and forested ridges More

Views at Point Reyes National Seashore, California

Point Reyes National Seashore contains unique elements of biological and historical interest in a spectacularly scenic panorama of thunderous ocean breakers, open grasslands, bushy hillsides and forested ridges More

Views at Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Preserve, Colorado

Nestled in southern Colorado, North America's tallest dunes rise over 750 feet high against the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The wind shaped dunes glow beneath the rugged backdrop of the mountains. This g More

Views at Point Reyes National Seashore, California

Point Reyes National Seashore contains unique elements of biological and historical interest in a spectacularly scenic panorama of thunderous ocean breakers, open grasslands, bushy hillsides and forested ridges More

Views at Point Reyes National Seashore, California

Point Reyes National Seashore contains unique elements of biological and historical interest in a spectacularly scenic panorama of thunderous ocean breakers, open grasslands, bushy hillsides and forested ridges More

Views at Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Preserve, Colorado

Nestled in southern Colorado, North America's tallest dunes rise over 750 feet high against the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The wind shaped dunes glow beneath the rugged backdrop of the mountains. This g More

Views at Point Reyes National Seashore, California

Point Reyes National Seashore contains unique elements of biological and historical interest in a spectacularly scenic panorama of thunderous ocean breakers, open grasslands, bushy hillsides and forested ridges More

Views at Point Reyes National Seashore, California

Point Reyes National Seashore contains unique elements of biological and historical interest in a spectacularly scenic panorama of thunderous ocean breakers, open grasslands, bushy hillsides and forested ridges More

Views at Point Reyes National Seashore, California

Point Reyes National Seashore contains unique elements of biological and historical interest in a spectacularly scenic panorama of thunderous ocean breakers, open grasslands, bushy hillsides and forested ridges More

Views at Point Reyes National Seashore, California

Point Reyes National Seashore contains unique elements of biological and historical interest in a spectacularly scenic panorama of thunderous ocean breakers, open grasslands, bushy hillsides and forested ridges More

Views at Point Reyes National Seashore, California

Point Reyes National Seashore contains unique elements of biological and historical interest in a spectacularly scenic panorama of thunderous ocean breakers, open grasslands, bushy hillsides and forested ridges More

Views at Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Preserve, Colorado

Nestled in southern Colorado, North America's tallest dunes rise over 750 feet high against the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The wind shaped dunes glow beneath the rugged backdrop of the mountains. This g More

Views at Point Reyes National Seashore, California

Point Reyes National Seashore contains unique elements of biological and historical interest in a spectacularly scenic panorama of thunderous ocean breakers, open grasslands, bushy hillsides and forested ridges More

Views at Point Reyes National Seashore, California

Point Reyes National Seashore contains unique elements of biological and historical interest in a spectacularly scenic panorama of thunderous ocean breakers, open grasslands, bushy hillsides and forested ridges More

Views at Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Preserve, Colorado

Nestled in southern Colorado, North America's tallest dunes rise over 750 feet high against the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The wind shaped dunes glow beneath the rugged backdrop of the mountains. This g More

Views at Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Preserve, Colorado

Nestled in southern Colorado, North America's tallest dunes rise over 750 feet high against the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The wind shaped dunes glow beneath the rugged backdrop of the mountains. This g More

Views at Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Preserve, Colorado

Nestled in southern Colorado, North America's tallest dunes rise over 750 feet high against the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The wind shaped dunes glow beneath the rugged backdrop of the mountains. This g More

Views at Point Reyes National Seashore, California

Point Reyes National Seashore contains unique elements of biological and historical interest in a spectacularly scenic panorama of thunderous ocean breakers, open grasslands, bushy hillsides and forested ridges More

Views at Point Reyes National Seashore, California

Point Reyes National Seashore contains unique elements of biological and historical interest in a spectacularly scenic panorama of thunderous ocean breakers, open grasslands, bushy hillsides and forested ridges More

Views at Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Preserve, Colorado

Nestled in southern Colorado, North America's tallest dunes rise over 750 feet high against the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The wind shaped dunes glow beneath the rugged backdrop of the mountains. This g More

Commander Lousma records PGU data on middeck

STS003-22-122 (30 March 1982) --- STS-3 Commander Lousma, wearing communications kit assembly (ASSY) mini-headset (HDST), records Plant Growth Unit (PGU) data for the Influence of Weightlessness on Plant Lignif More

Ashley River Road - Bench in the Barbados Garden

The original finding aid described this photograph as: Original Caption: Benches scattered along the paths inside the Barbados Garden provide the perfect resting spot to examine different plant species. Locat More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron catches a small rodent along the shore of an inland waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An alligator swims in the water nearby. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper KSC-2014-1999

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron catches a small rodent along the shore of an inland waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An alligator swims in the water nearby. The center shares a b More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A blooming cactus takes the spotlight in a sandy area near Launch Pad 39A on the Kennedy Space Center. A broad variety of flora and fauna can be found on the grounds, which share a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Within the refuge, 1,045 plant species has been identified and more than 500 species of wildlife, including 330 species of birds, 117 fishes, 65 amphibians and reptiles and 31 mammals. Photo credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley KSC-07pd1858

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A blooming cactus takes the spotlight in a sandy area near Launch Pad 39A on the Kennedy Space Center. A broad variety of flora and fauna can be found on the grounds, which share More

The Next Generation - National Parks Gallery

A park ranger helps young visitors identify native plant species. Public domain photograph of educational activity, National Park rangers, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

The Tiniest Detail Matters - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery

A botonist examines a plant with a hand lens (known as a loupe) to examine the tiny details that will help her decide what plant species she is holding. Close view of a person examining a flower.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Late at night at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a raccoon walks near one of the waterways near Launch Complex 39. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray KSC-2013-3056

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Late at night at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a raccoon walks near one of the waterways near Launch Complex 39. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a female Osceola wild turkey roams a grassy area near Launch Complex 39. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray KSC-2013-3058

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a female Osceola wild turkey roams a grassy area near Launch Complex 39. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildli More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a female Osceola wild turkey roams a grassy area near Launch Complex 39. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray KSC-2013-3057

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a female Osceola wild turkey roams a grassy area near Launch Complex 39. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildli More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a raccoon forages in the underbrush near Launch Pad 39B. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray KSC-2013-3059

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a raccoon forages in the underbrush near Launch Pad 39B. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, two raccoons forage in the underbrush near one of the waterways in the Launch Complex 39 area. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray KSC-2013-3060

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, two raccoons forage in the underbrush near one of the waterways in the Launch Complex 39 area. The center shares a boundary with the Merrit More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, two young white ibises wade in one of waterways near Launch Pad 39B. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray KSC-2013-3061

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, two young white ibises wade in one of waterways near Launch Pad 39B. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlif More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a wild boar forages for food in the one of the waterways near Launch Pad 39B. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray KSC-2013-3062

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a wild boar forages for food in the one of the waterways near Launch Pad 39B. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island Nationa More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a bobcat wades through one of the waterways near Launch Pad 39B. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray KSC-2013-3063

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a bobcat wades through one of the waterways near Launch Pad 39B. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife R More

Getting Every Inch - National Parks Gallery

Phragmites, an invasive plant species, grows tall. In order to get rid of it, the controlled use of herbicide is applied annually for up to 5 years.

Kriss Jackson-Harper - Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park

Kriss Jackson-Harper is a graduate of the University of Washington. With a degree in Sociology and a graduate certificate in Environmental Education, she hopes to improve her identification of animal and plant More

Native Plant Community Monitoring

Recording identified species at a transect in Point Mugu State Park. Plant communities are both constituents of and drivers of biodiversity. Loss of specific plant species or plant communities can impact inse More

Native plant community monitoring

Researchers conduct a census of vegetation along a transect in Point Mugu State Park. Plant communities are both constituents of and drivers of biodiversity. Loss of specific plant species or plant communitie More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron catches a small rodent along the shore of an inland waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An alligator swims in the water nearby. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper KSC-2014-1998

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron catches a small rodent along the shore of an inland waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An alligator swims in the water nearby. The center shares a b More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron catches a small rodent along the shore of an inland waterway near the former site of the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper KSC-2014-1993

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron catches a small rodent along the shore of an inland waterway near the former site of the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron catches a small rodent along the shore of an inland waterway near the former site of the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper KSC-2014-1994

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron catches a small rodent along the shore of an inland waterway near the former site of the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron stands along the shore of an inland waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An alligator swims in the water nearby. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper KSC-2014-2005

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron stands along the shore of an inland waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An alligator swims in the water nearby. The center shares a boundary with the More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron catches a small rodent along the shore of an inland waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An alligator swims in the water nearby. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper KSC-2014-1997

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron catches a small rodent along the shore of an inland waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An alligator swims in the water nearby. The center shares a b More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron catches a small rodent along the shore of an inland waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An alligator swims in the water nearby. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper KSC-2014-2002

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron catches a small rodent along the shore of an inland waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An alligator swims in the water nearby. The center shares a b More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron stands along the shore of an inland waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An alligator swims in the water nearby. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper KSC-2014-2006

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron stands along the shore of an inland waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An alligator swims in the water nearby. The center shares a boundary with the More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron catches a small rodent along the shore of an inland waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An alligator swims in the water nearby. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper KSC-2014-2000

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron catches a small rodent along the shore of an inland waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An alligator swims in the water nearby. The center shares a b More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron consumes a small rodent along the shore of an inland waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An alligator swims in the water nearby. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper KSC-2014-2003

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron consumes a small rodent along the shore of an inland waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An alligator swims in the water nearby. The center shares a More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron catches a small rodent along the shore of an inland waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An alligator swims in the water nearby. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper KSC-2014-2001

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron catches a small rodent along the shore of an inland waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An alligator swims in the water nearby. The center shares a b More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron catches a small rodent along the shore of an inland waterway near the former site of the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper KSC-2014-1995

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron catches a small rodent along the shore of an inland waterway near the former site of the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron consumes a small rodent along the shore of an inland waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An alligator swims in the water nearby. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper KSC-2014-2004

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron consumes a small rodent along the shore of an inland waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An alligator swims in the water nearby. The center shares a More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron catches a small rodent along the shore of an inland waterway near the former site of the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. It contains more than 1,000 known plant species. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, and a variety of insects. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper KSC-2014-1996

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A great blue heron catches a small rodent along the shore of an inland waterway near the former site of the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center More

Aviation helps remove Japanese stilt grass, an invasive plant species, at Paradise Creek Nature Park during a community outreach event serving the Elizabeth River Project.

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (Oct. 16, 2014) Aviation Maintenance Administrationman Airman Christopher Foxx, assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), helps remove Japanese stilt grass, an invasive plan More

Muskrats (Ondotra zibethicus), Effigy Mounds National Monument, 2015.

This semi-aquatic rodent is native to North America, found in wetlands over a wide range of climates. It is thought that muskrats play an important role in wetland ecology. They selectively remove preferred pla More

Antelope horns (Asclepias asperula), Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument, 2015.

A member of the milkweed family, Asclepias, Antelope horns are also known by the moniker spider milkweed. Named for its elongated seed pods, the plant forms clumps that may grow to 2' in height. Flowers appear More

Students work to identify as many plant species as possible during a plant inventory.

Students work to identify as many plant species as possible during a plant inventory

Students work to identify as many plant species as possible during a plant inventory.

Volunteers work to clear invasive plant species throughout the park site.

Each year, NPS staff and volunteers come together to take part in the Coastal Clean Up Day which covers all of the GGNRA's park sites and helps to keep trails and the surrounding flora healthy.

Jackson Lake Lodge - National Parks Gallery

Hedge on the west side of Jackson Lake Lodge During the early years of the NPS, landscape architects developed a tradition of using native plant species to create a naturalistic effect. Plants communities of th More

Grand Sable Dunes - National Parks Gallery

The Grand Sable Dunes west of Grand Marais are one of the major features of the park and are among the best examples of perched dune systems in the world. Rising more than 300 feet above the lake, the Grand Sab More

Brittany Tominez - War in the Pacific National Historical Park

My name is Brittany and I am from the island of Guam. I am recent graduate from Chaminade University of Honolulu with a B.S. in Environmental Studies and a minor in Biology. This summer I will be interning with More

Platt Historic District - National Parks Gallery

The Platt District is located at the western edge of the eastern deciduous forest and western plains grassland, and, as a transitional zone, contains a rich mixture of woodland and prairie species. More than 60 More

Jackson Lake Lodge - National Parks Gallery

Hedge on the west side of Jackson Lake Lodge During the early years of the NPS, landscape architects developed a tradition of using native plant species to create a naturalistic effect. Plants communities of t More

Trail through the dunes. - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery

There are trails through the Grand Sable Dunes. The dunes contain uncommon plant species and communities, including the richest orchid flora in the Great Lakes and the federally endangered Pitcher's thistle. Th More

Radford High School Navy Junior ROTC cadets work together to remove invasive plant species of the stone path along the coastline of the ancient fishpond, Loko Pa'aiau on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam as part of an Earth Month event.

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM (Apr. 27, 2019) Radford High School Navy Junior ROTC cadets work together to remove invasive plant species of the stone path along the coastline of the ancient fishpond, Loko Pa'a More

Community volunteers uproot invasive plant species to maintain the ancient fishpond, Loko Pa'aiau on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM (Apr. 27, 2019) Community volunteers uproot invasive plant species to maintain the ancient fishpond, Loko Pa'aiau on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The fishpond restoration is an More