Discover all that Georgia has to offer for nature.
Northern Georgia provides a wide variety of habitats, and as a result has hundreds of species of animals and plants, both native to the state and widely spread across the United States. Even in a small part of the state, there is a truly incredible amount of biodiversity to observe and learn from.
Predators
There are two dangerous predators in the Georgia food chain; the bear and the coyote. Bears are native to the entire state of Georgia, with approximately one bear for every square mile. Safety precautions must be taken to avoid luring bears to your campsite or antagonizing them. Coyotes are also present statewide in Georgia and can be extremely dangerous to both humans and household pets. Coyotes should be handled by trained animal control experts when they become a problem, and they should be otherwise avoided.
Other Mammals
There are many other mammals in North Georgia, but the most notable common species are raccoons, rats, bats, squirrels, beavers and woodchucks. Most of these can be found in North Georgia's considerable woods, but some that scavenge, such as raccoons and squirrels, can also be found in the cities, sometimes in great numbers. Beaver populations have been declining slightly due to the damage caused to their habitat, especially around the Atlanta area, but there are still plenty of them to see.
Reptiles and Amphibians
Georgia has nearly 150 species of reptiles, many of which are in the southern part of the state. Unique to northern Georgia is the Pigeon Mountain salamander, a tiny brown salamander discovered in 1972. The glass lizard is also a unique species, as it has no arms or legs. Mud and rainbow snakes are common, and so are dangerous species like the cottonmouth and the copperhead. Be careful when approaching snakes so as not to be attacked.
Birds
Over 130 species of birds call north Georgia home. Due to the climate of the Blue Ridge mountains, some birds you'll find only in north Georgia include the yellow-bellied sap sucker, the winter wren and the dark-eyed junco. These can only be found on the mountains, in elevations above 1,000 feet. More common birds include the northern cardinal and the peregrine falcon, which had nearly been wiped out by DDT, but has made a comeback.
Bushes, Shrubs, and Vines
There are hundreds of plant species native to the entirety of north Georgia. A few notable examples include the devil's walking stick, a tall, thorny red shrub; the aromatic red basil bush; the button bush with it's unique round flowers; the sharp, spiky beargrass; and the common yellowroot shrub. One plant to particularly look out for is the honeycup, with its wonderful-smelling white flowers; it's very rare in Georgia, so it's a real treat to find one.
Trees
Finally, there are the trees of northern Georgia. The yellow buckeye is found nowhere else in the state. Other common trees are the river birch; the sugar maple, which offers fiery colors in the autumn; three different species of the hickory; both white and green ash; and the beech. Of particular value is the black walnut, which was often planted near old homesteads for its ability to secrete juglone, a chemical that kills or slows the growth of other plants. It's a valuable tree for its juglone and also its wood.
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