the plants of the appalachian trail: a hiker’s guide to 399 species

Identify an amazing range of plants along the Appalachian Trail with this guide to flowers, trees, and other vegetation you could experience on your next nature hike.

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.

Kristen Lea Wickert has always loved the outdoors. This love started during her childhood in the forest roughly a mile from the Appalachian Trail (AT) in Pennsylvania. Her passion for understanding the forest and its inhabitants evolved to a professional level when she obtained her bachelors of forest science from Penn State and her masters and PhD in forest plant pathology from West Virginia University, and it grew when she was a forester in Texas and an entomologist and plant pathologist in the Appalachian mountains. Currently, Kristen lives in a beautiful small town in Appalachia and works as an educator and scientist studying forest insects, plants, and pathogens.