Forests are more than just trees. They are a complex community of plants and animals that constantly change, grow, and interact with each other and the nutrient-bearing soils upon which they depend. Once, more than half of Wisconsin was covered in vast stretches of forest: maple woodlands, spruce and pine groves, oak savannas, riverbottom thickets, and more. Over time, the axe, the plow, and the bulldozer have changed that landscape into a patchwork quilt of forest divided by towns, fields, and roads. Some forest wildlife like to live deep in the forest, others prefer living at the forest's edge. Some wildlife need young forests, others require mature, or "old-growth" forests to survive.

a photograph of a beech maple forest
American Black currant
The black currant is a shrub with maple-like leaves with toothed edges.
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Barred Owl
Whoooo is this owl with such a strange name? Let's find out.
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Black Bear
It is rare that you will come in contact with a bear unless you are near bear country.
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Bobcat
What has a stubby "bobbed" tail, sideburns, spiky ear hair and gets called lots of names?
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Bunchberry with berries
In the fall, the bunchberry lives up to its name.
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photo of foxsnake coiled up and resting on soil
Many people mistake this snake for a venomous copperhead. We don't have copperheards in Wisconsin.
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Red-backed Salamander
Not only does it live on land its whole life, it doesn't have lungs or gills and breathes right through its skin!
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Eastern Tiger Salamander
This salamander is the world's-largest land-dwelling salamander.
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Goshawk
These hawks rely on speed and cunning to catch their prey.
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Forest with white trillium in blossom
The trillium gets its name from the Latin word for three.
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Luna moth resting on a tree branch
If you see a fluorescent green, large moth in the moonlight, it's
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The Flying Squirrel
It's small, furry, and "flies" from tree to tree.
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Ovenbird
This warbler can be found hopping on the floor of Wisconsin's mature forests.
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Paper Birch trees
In the winter, birch are also easy to identify by the dangling flower clusters in small bunches.
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Porcupine on a log eating berries
This mammal is not the sharp-shooter that many people think.
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Red-headed Woodpecker
Common name: red-headed woodpecker
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Ruffed Grouse
You're walking in the woods on a nice spring day, when suddenly y
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Snowshoe Hare
This hare changes its coat twice a year, exchanging a thin brown summer coat for a heavy, white winter coat.
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Spotted Salamander
This black or dark brown salamander (another of the mole salamanders) has prominent yellow spots along its body.
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Sugar Maple Tree
The sugar maple was selected as the state tree by school children in a statewide vote in 1893.
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White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer is one of North America's most abundant big-game animal.
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