NatureServe Explorer is "a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals, and ecological communities of the United States and Canada." NatureServe Explorer offers a quick and convenient way to get detailed information on the conservation status, geographic distribution, taxonomy, and natural history for species of interest. NatureServe Explorer, a combined project of the Nature Conservancy and the Natural Heritage Network, focuses on rare and endangered species but covers some common ones as well. The database may be quickly searched for information on specific plants and animals or on entire ecological communities.