Discover Life in America is sharing the rich biodiversity of the Great Smoky Mountains with UT Libraries. From now until September, high resolution scans of plants, insects and fungi will adorn the reference room, 135 Hodges Library.

Discover Life in America (DLIA) is the non-profit organization coordinating the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The ATBI seeks to identify every species that exists in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Some scientists estimate that up to 100,000 species live in the Park. To date, a little over 16,000 species have been documented. DLIA’s ATBI program has discovered over 900 species new to science and over 6,500 species previously not known to inhabit the Park.

The high-resolution scans on display in Hodges Library showcase some of the beauty and diversity that exists within the Park. While black bears and elk are mascots of the Smokies, there is another world to discover if you look more closely.