The America that early European explorers and colonists found was a far different land than we know today. Even only 150 years ago, the forests of Appalachia were far darker and home to an incredible number of exotic species whose days were numbered: The beautiful multi-color Carolina Parakeet, the Eastern Bison and the preying Eastern Mountain Lion (the fourth largest cat on the planet), all called the mountains of Southern Appalachia home before many of our ancestors arrived.

Indeed, the modern forests of today are almost unrecognizable compared to the majestic, dense and dark foggy woodlands that greeted the first white settlers only a handful of centuries ago.

The most notable change to the American continent, however, has far more to do with the weather than anything else.

For reasons largely unknown today, the planet experienced a period of drastic cooling from around 1500-1800s, creating a time period known as “The Little Ice Age”.

the rest: http://appalachianmagazine.com/2019/02/07/the-little-ice-age-during-early-colonial-america/