Things to do / Travel Guide
From bobcats and black bears to nesting bald eagles, imperiled gray bats and snow trillium lilies, Central Kentucky and Tennessee has a wide range of fascinating four-legged, flying, and flowering phenomena.
Birds in Central Kentucky and Tennessee
The Wild Turkey bourbon distillery brought Central Kentucky and Tennessee's wild turkey population in the national consciousness. Hundreds of other bird species (whose marketing potential hasn't yet been discovered) also grace the region with their dignified soaring, statuesque poses, and pleasant songs. Great blue herons and kingfishers pose elegantly near the banks of Central Kentucky and Tennessee lakes and rivers as endangered peregrine falcons dip and glide on swift breezes. Daniel Boone National Forest, located within the Cumberland Upland Avifaunal Region, is a natural aviary - look for tree swallows, the threatened bald eagle, osprey, or double-crested cormorant during the summer near Cave Run Lake and Laurel River Lake. In the winter, herring gulls, pied-billed grebes, loons, and American coots can be spotted along the same places. The eastern lark sparrow nests in central Tennessee, birders track red-breasted nuthatches, the rare cerulean warbler, and a host of others.
Mammals in Central Kentucky and Tennessee
Are you a fan of all that is four-legged and furry? Literally hundreds of mammal species thrive within Central Kentucky and Tennessee. In Big South Fork River (among other places), in both states, you can spot elk, white-tailed deer, coyote, black bear, and small mammals including bobcats, gray fox, and even flying squirrels. A decidedly-less-beloved flying creature, the bat, happily hangs from Central Kentucky and Tennessee's many limestone caves, craggy cliffs, and rock shelters. The Indiana bat, Virginia big-eared bat, and gray bat are found throughout the region. Kentucky River Palisades, in the area of Frankfort, Lexington, and Richmond, Kentucky is home to the only Bluegrass Region breeding colony, as well as four endangered bat species.
Flora in Central Kentucky and Tennessee
In the Central Kentucky and Tennessee region the first flora to come to mind should be bluegrass. But the botanical diversity of the region extends far beyond this well-known ground cover. The Kentucky River Palisades has one of the highest concentrations of threatened plant varieties in the region, including cleft phlox, mountain lover, and Svenson's rye. The limestone soils in this area support one of the region's only snow trillium lilies. And for people who use the mood-enhancing herb St. John's wort, you'll find it growing wild along the rocky riverbanks. Pretty, varicolored wildflowers abound on both sides of the Kentucky-Tennessee state line during spring and summer, including pale purple coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, and Eggleston's violet. As for tall, sturdy hardwoods, Central Kentucky and Tennessee boasts vast forested areas and canopy layers of sugar maple, blue ash, beech and yellow poplars, birch and hemlock, scarlet oak, and hickory. East of Nashville, Cedars of Lebanon State Park is the largest remaining red cedar forest in the United States. But if you want to see some beautiful specimens right in the city, head to Nashville's Vanderbilt University Arboretum, home to 300 varieties of plants, shrubs, and native central Tennessee tree varieties including hedge maple, magnolias, green hawthorn, and September elm. A healthy portion of Vanderbilt University Arboretum's trees are more than 200 years old.
Wildlife Observation in Central Kentucky and Tennessee
A great way to spend a morning or afternoon is to walk around one of Central Kentucky and Tennessee's premier wildlife observation sites:
- For bats and birds (but not bourbon) go to the 115-acre Jim Beam Nature Preserve, near Nicholasville, Kentucky. The Jim Beam Nature Preserve is located near the Kentucky River and is home to the oldest exposed rocks in the state. The colorful limestone cliffs are spectacular, and you'll also probably spot wild turkey, gray and Indiana bats, and rare wildflowers.
- Trails within the 6,000-acre Jefferson Memorial Forest in Louisville allow for prime wildlife observation right within the city. Have a picnic beneath an oak and listen to the songbirds as a frog saunters by.
- Make a beeline for 1,500-acre Beaman Park, in Nashville. Amidst dogwoods, chestnut, and tulip poplar you can spot flying squirrels, turtles, and even a bobcat on occasion.
- You may just gain rare, spiritual insight at Cedars of Lebanon State Park, near Lebanon, Tennessee, named for the cedar forests of biblical Lebanon. The park encompasses nearly 8,900 acres and is a great place to look at rare wildflowers and the region's native flora.
Nature Spots in Nashville, Louisville and Lexington in Central Kentucky and Tennessee
Nature-Wildlife
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