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Wildlife in Indiana Dunes National Park

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

7,899
recent observations
30
species listed
23
plants
4
birds
1
insects & arthropods

Naturalists have logged 7,899 research-grade observations across the 30 most-recorded species in Indiana Dunes. The most frequently seen is the Eastern Skunk Cabbage, with 485 recorded sightings.

Plants account for the largest share of what gets recorded there (23 of the species listed here), followed by birds (4).

🖨️ Printable wildlife checklist

Most-observed species in Indiana Dunes

Eastern Skunk Cabbage
Symplocarpus foetidus
485 observations
Sassafras
Sassafras albidum
450 observations
Prairie Trillium
Trillium recurvatum
331 observations
Red Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
321 observations
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
320 observations
Hairy Puccoon
Lithospermum caroliniense
317 observations · iNaturalist
Sundial Lupine
Lupinus perennis
287 observations
Flowering Spurge
Euphorbia corollata
287 observations
Mayapple
Podophyllum peltatum
277 observations
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensis
268 observations
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
268 observations
Common Soapwort
Saponaria officinalis
266 observations · iNaturalist
Cinnamon Fern
Osmundastrum cinnamomeum
254 observations
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
246 observations
Large White Trillium
Trillium grandiflorum
246 observations
Red-winged Blackbird
Agelaius phoeniceus
241 observations
Monarch
Danaus plexippus
240 observations
Spotted Horsemint
Monarda punctata
233 observations
Virginia Springbeauty
Claytonia virginica
226 observations
American Goldfinch
Spinus tristis
225 observations
Ohio Spiderwort
Tradescantia ohiensis
221 observations
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
215 observations
Canadian Lousewort
Pedicularis canadensis
214 observations
Common Hoptree
Ptelea trifoliata
211 observations
American Red Squirrel
Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
210 observations
Butterfly Milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa
209 observations
Eastern Red-backed Salamander
Plethodon cinereus
208 observations
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
208 observations
Star-flowered Lily-of-the-valley
Maianthemum stellatum
208 observations
Solomon's Plume
Maianthemum racemosum
207 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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