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Wildlife in Kentucky

Here’s what naturalists are spotting in Kentucky right now - pulled live from recent research-grade observations. Browse by group, explore the map, and identify what you find with Huck.

137,641
recent observations
30
species listed
15
plants
6
insects & arthropods
5
reptiles & amphibians

Naturalists have logged 137,641 research-grade observations across the 30 most-recorded species in Kentucky. The most frequently seen is the Common Box Turtle, with 9,718 recorded sightings.

Plants account for the largest share of what gets recorded there (15 of the species listed here), followed by insects & arthropods (6).

🖨️ Printable wildlife checklist

Most-observed species in Kentucky

Common Box Turtle
Terrapene carolina
9,718 observations
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio glaucus
6,518 observations
Monarch
Danaus plexippus
6,083 observations
White-tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
6,020 observations
Christmas fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
5,408 observations
Virginia Springbeauty
Claytonia virginica
5,387 observations
mayapple
Podophyllum peltatum
5,352 observations
common pawpaw
Asimina triloba
4,882 observations
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
4,822 observations
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
4,682 observations
Eastern Newt
Notophthalmus viridescens
4,662 observations
blue phlox
Phlox divaricata
4,595 observations
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
4,470 observations
American pokeweed
Phytolacca americana
4,249 observations
Asian Lady Beetle
Harmonia axyridis
4,232 observations
Amur honeysuckle
Lonicera maackii
4,203 observations
dwarf larkspur
Delphinium tricorne
4,191 observations · iNaturalist
Central Ratsnake
Pantherophis alleghaniensis
4,180 observations
American tuliptree
Liriodendron tulipifera
4,103 observations
American Toad
Anaxyrus americanus
4,018 observations
rue anemone
Thalictrum thalictroides
4,011 observations
Common Eastern Bumble Bee
Bombus impatiens
3,997 observations
Bold Jumping Spider
Phidippus audax
3,840 observations
cut-leaved toothwort
Cardamine concatenata
3,670 observations
eastern redbud
Cercis canadensis
3,505 observations
red deadnettle
Lamium purpureum
3,459 observations · iNaturalist
Red-spotted Admiral
Limenitis arthemis
3,395 observations
Southern Two-lined Salamander
Eurycea cirrigera
3,377 observations
fortune's spindle
Euonymus fortunei
3,319 observations · iNaturalist
bloodroot
Sanguinaria canadensis
3,293 observations

Built from recent research-grade iNaturalist observations. Identifications are community-sourced and may occasionally be wrong, and the ranking reflects where people record and photograph wildlife, so a species seen often here is not necessarily rare elsewhere. Some plants and animals are only out in certain seasons. Treat this as a lively snapshot of what people are finding, not a formal checklist.

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