Smokies Life | Amanda Womac

Nature Illuminated

Deep in the woods on a warm summer evening, a species of beetle signals its mate with a flash pattern unique to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Synchronous fireflies ...Read More

Hellbenders Revealed

Snot otter. Mud devil. Grampus. Walking catfish. Lasagna lizard. These are not the most flattering nicknames, but they are the ones that stuck to Cryptobranchus ...Read More

Forest Gliders

Nestled in hollow tree crevices at the highest elevations of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the park’s more elusive mammals—the Carolina flying ...Read More

Here Be Dragons

When people visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park, they are usually expecting to see charismatic flora and fauna such as pink lady slippers or black bears. Insects rarely ...Read More