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Wildlife in Maquoketa Caves State Park

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

943
recent observations
30
species listed
29
plants
1
fungi

Naturalists have logged 943 research-grade observations across the 30 most-recorded species in Maquoketa Caves. The most frequently seen is the Golden Oyster Mushroom, with 66 recorded sightings.

Plants account for the largest share of what gets recorded there (29 of the species listed here), followed by fungi (1).

Rarer finds confirmed in Maquoketa Caves include Walking Fern - uncommon enough that a sighting is worth logging.

Walking Fern
🖨️ Printable wildlife checklist

Most-observed species in Maquoketa Caves

Golden Oyster Mushroom
Pleurotus citrinopileatus
66 observations · iNaturalist
Amur Honeysuckle
Lonicera maackii
52 observations
Sharp-lobed Hepatica
Hepatica acutiloba
51 observations · iNaturalist
Red Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
50 observations
Wood Nettle
Laportea canadensis
49 observations
Cutleaf Coneflower
Rudbeckia laciniata
46 observations
Walking Fern
Asplenium rhizophyllum
44 observations
Great Waterleaf
Hydrophyllum appendiculatum
38 observations · iNaturalist
Low Smartweed
Persicaria longiseta
38 observations · iNaturalist
Northern Maidenhair Fern
Adiantum pedatum
37 observations
Snakewort
Conocephalum salebrosum
32 observations · iNaturalist
American Bladdernut
Staphylea trifolia
31 observations
Pale Jewelweed
Impatiens pallida
30 observations
Canada Clearweed
Pilea pumila
30 observations · iNaturalist
Broad-leaved Goldenrod
Solidago flexicaulis
29 observations
Narrow-leaved Glade Fern
Homalosorus pycnocarpos
27 observations · iNaturalist
Red Clover
Trifolium pratense
25 observations
Prairie Trillium
Trillium recurvatum
25 observations
Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Arisaema triphyllum
24 observations
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
23 observations
Wild Carrot
Daucus carota
22 observations
Pointed-leaved Tick-trefoil
Hylodesmum glutinosum
21 observations · iNaturalist
Common Hackberry
Celtis occidentalis
20 observations
False Rue Anemone
Enemion biternatum
20 observations · iNaturalist
Bristly Greenbrier
Smilax tamnoides
20 observations · iNaturalist
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
19 observations
White Snakeroot
Ageratina altissima
19 observations
Partridge Pea
Chamaecrista fasciculata
19 observations
Bulblet Fern
Cystopteris bulbifera
18 observations
American Jumpseed
Persicaria virginiana
18 observations · iNaturalist

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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