From the grand, graceful sweep of a tallgrass prairie to the cliffs and crags of the Shawnee Hills, Indiana embraces a dozen distinct natural regions. Three centuries ago, each thrived as a wondrous setting with its own particular beauty, its own cast of characters and its own role to play in the Indiana Story.
One place is hilly, another flat. One was a plain where cougars stalk deer, another a wetland aflutter with migrating birds. Bears thrive here, butterflies there. Each natural region, and the distinct sections within each region, is a separate, recognizable area where the land, plants, animals and organisms below the surface form a unique ecosystem.
Regions take shape when natural forces sculpt the land and as plant and animal communities evolve to fit the local resources, climate, landscape and each other. The result is the grand, varied tapestry of Indiana.