The Pacific and Atlantic coasts
They are home to countless seabirds, including the Atlantic Puffin and Northern Gannet in the east and the Cassin's Auklet and Bald Eagle in the west, not to mention the many marine mammals, many of which are threatened. The beluga whale, which frequents the estuary and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and the orca, which lives off the Pacific coast, come to mind. The most beautiful coasts are protected by conservation areas such as Forillon National Park in Quebec, where several species of whales can be easily observed, or the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on Vancouver Island, which is home to endangered sea otters, gray whales and sea lions. Our favorite places to see these majestic marine mammals are Tofino and Telegraph Cove in British Columbia, Churchill in Manitoba, Tadoussac in Quebec, St. Andrews in New Brunswick, the Cape Breton Highlands National Park area in Nova Scotia, and Twillingate in Newfoundland.
Along the Pacific Ocean is the coastal temperate rainforest with its lush vegetation. Trees include conifers (western red cedar, yellow cypress, Douglas fir, Sitka spruce) that are mostly covered with moss. The rainforest is home to many ecosystems ranging from mammals to birds, not to mention the fish that live in the rivers. The Great BearRainforest is worth a visit, as is the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island, both of which have trees that are 1,000 years old. In eastern Canada, the boreal zone covers most of the coastline along the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Atlantic, while the Acadian forest covers New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. The Acadian forest covers New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia and is home to a variety of species such as American beech, red oak, white elm, black spruce, balsam fir, hemlock and sugar maple, all of which can be seen in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia.
Western Canada's mountain ranges
They consist of the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia and Alberta, and north to Alaska, the Yukon and Northwest Territories, the Mackenzie Mountains and the Columbia Mountains. Several forest types cover this large area, starting with the montane forest, which is well established on the central plateau of British Columbia, as well as part of the Kootenays and several valleys near Alberta. Douglas fir, lodgepole pine and trembling aspen are among the most common trees, as well as white spruce and alpine fir. Then, between the central plateau of British Columbia and the Rocky Mountains, comes the Columbia Forest, similar to the coastal region with its impressive conifers. The Rocky Mountains are covered by the sub-alpine forest characterized by conifers. Wildflowers, huckleberry, and white rhododendron are found throughout the area. In addition to the moisture present in the soil, the subalpine forest is crisscrossed by an infinite number of water bodies, allowing the existence of many wetlands: ponds surrounded by vegetation, peat bogs, swamps and freshwater or saltwater marshes. The Rockies are also home to bighorn sheep, deer, elk, caribou, moose, bear, wolverine, wolves, small fur-bearing animals, etc., and in remote areas, such as Moraine Lake in Banff, and in the Yukon, the imposing grizzly bear can be seen. Further north, the boreal forest and tundra take over. Numerous provincial and national parks aim to protect this jewel of the Canadian Rockies, including the best known, Banff and Jasper, both in Alberta, or Kootenay and Yoho in British Columbia.
Alberta's Badlands and Central Great Plains
The famous Badlands is the arid, cactus-growing region of east-central Alberta where dinosaurs once lived. The Dinosaur Provincial Park, where the largest number of dinosaur bones in the world have been found, and Horseshoe Canyon, carved and shaped by the glaciers that once occupied the land, are two must-see sites in Drumheller, Alberta. The Royal Tyrell Museum of Paleontology , also in Drumheller, and the T.rex Discovery Centre in Eastend, Saskatchewan, both of which focus on the study of dinosaurs and their environment.
In southern Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the Great Plains of the central United States reach their northern limit. The prairies have gradually disappeared in favour of the fields. Symbol of this vastness, the bison live in freedom in certain national parks, notably those of Banff, Elk Island and Wood Buffalo in Alberta, and the Prairies in southern Saskatchewan. These large ruminant cattle can also be seen in their enclosure in Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba. Wood Buffalo Park is also the only nesting site for the nearly extinct whooping crane. Otherwise, the big star of the plains is the prairie dog, a small rodent that can be seen in Grasslands National Park. This park is a must-see, as it protects one of the few surviving natural prairies on the continent.
The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Forest
It covers southern Ontario and Quebec, stretching west from Lake Superior along the Minnesota state line to the Gaspé Peninsula and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. On the poor soils grow white pine and oak, while on the rich upland soils, which have often become agricultural, grow hardwoods such as sugar maple, American beech, birch, and the softwood hemlock. On the wet lowlands, elm, ash, red maple and white cedar grow. The higher the latitude, the more conifers mix with hardwoods. In autumn, the deciduous forest is ablaze with enchanting colors.
This region is home to pileated woodpeckers and various migratory birds, small mammals such as muskrats, otters and beavers, large undulating animals such as white-tailed deer and moose, and the fearsome predators of wolves and black bears. The latter two are the flagship of Ontario's Algonquin Provincial Park, especially the threatened Eastern Wolf, for which the park is one of the last refuges where it is not hunted. And since the howling of the wolf has always enraged humans, you can hear this stirring lament with park guides in the evenings during the summer to learn about this noble and disturbing forest character.
The smallest forest region in the country, the realm of the deciduous forest, cannot be ignored. It borders the shores of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie and is also found in the southern part of Lake Huron, Ontario. Dominated by agriculture and urban areas, this region has the largest number of tree species, covering nearly 3 million hectares. Species commonly found in the United States are present (black walnut, butternut, tulip tree, magnolia, Scotch nymph, many types of oak, hickory, sassafras, redbud), as well as others from the mixed forest.
This region is also home to some of the country's rarest mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, and amphibians, such as the northern flying squirrel and the eastern ratsnake. In the vicinity of Point Pelee National Park, bird watching is the main activity and allows you to see hundreds of species such as the brook warbler, heron, bittern and waterfowl. The migration of the monarch butterfly, an emblematic insect of North America, passes through here. It is very recognizable by the intense orange of its wings, which are ringed and veined with black bands and white spots.
The Boreal Zone
From the east to the west coast of Canada, the boreal zone - also known as the taiga - covers most of the country and is home to many animals. A characteristic inhabitant is the moose, which Canadians call moose, recognizable by its large antlers. The largest of the deer feeds on twigs, shrubs, leaves and even bark. It drinks from the many lakes in the forest, where it also consumes aquatic plants such as water lilies. This area is home to other deer, notably the elk and the woodland caribou: the latter is protected in Jasper National Park in Alberta and Gaspé National Park in Quebec, among other places. The Canadian porcupine, which feeds mainly on bark, also lives on trees.
In these large areas, predators are widely dispersed. The wolf hunts moose, but also many small mammals and birds, and usefully regulates the populations of these animals. The Canada lynx, a big cat known for its eyesight but also for its hearing, is closely linked to hare populations. The red fox, on the other hand, is widespread and has a varied diet. The marten, a member of the mustelidae family, whose fur varies from fawn to black, is also omnivorous, and therefore less vulnerable than specialized predators. The same is true of the black bear, which is particularly fond of berries, and is quite familiar with rummaging through garbage cans and stealing your picnic under your nose!
In addition to the omnipresent humidity in the soil, the taiga is crisscrossed by an infinite number of bodies of water, some a little higher than others, which communicate with each other: it is an interplay of lakes, the water of which flows in levels from one to the other, ending up in rivers and then in the sea. The innumerable rivers, often long and wide, also function like staircases: large stretches of water interspersed with rapids and waterfalls. Lakes and rivers allow for the existence of many wetlands, shallow bodies of water linked to the soil that hosts them: ponds surrounded by vegetation, peat bogs, swamps and marshes of fresh or salt water. These aquatic environments - except for the peat bogs - are home to an important life: fish (trout, salmon, pike, etc.), amphibians, insects, innumerable water birds. The most characteristic animal is the beaver, which feeds on twigs, bark, wood, with a predilection for birch, as well as plants and berries. It swims remarkably well by means of its large flat tail which it uses like a rudder. Its long incisors allow it to build dams or dykes, canals for transporting wood and a lodge that it inhabits. Two other furry mammals, the otter and the mink, are also excellent swimmers.
Many nature parks are made up entirely or in part of taiga, such as Nahanni National Park in the Northwest Territories, Prince Albert National Park in Saskatchewan andAiguebelle National Park in Quebec. If they allow the observation of the fauna of the boreal zone, one can also go and meet them in wildlife sites which, in addition to offering education and interpretation, work towards the conservation and rehabilitation of these species. This is the case of the Yukon Wildlife Preserve in the Yukon, and the Refuge Pageau and Parc Omega in Quebec
Tundra and the Canadian Arctic
In the Canadian North, in the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, as well as in the extreme north of Quebec and Labrador, the taiga is disappearing in favour of the arctic tundra. If a few isolated larches manage to grow in sheltered areas, they soon become dwarfed or creeping, like the other trees and shrubs: conifers with twisted trunks, but also birch, mountain ash, Labrador tea.
The soil is spongy and humid. The vegetation is mainly made up of grasses, mosses and lichens that cling to the smallest rock and also many berry plants: blueberries, which are called blueberries in Canada, gooseberries, lingonberries, crowberry. This very poor vegetation sometimes disappears, leaving the rock of glacial origin bare. The tundra is also dotted with small lakes and peat bogs with a particular vegetation.
In this difficult environment, the fauna is very dispersed and is found throughout the Arctic zone: the reindeer or caribou, the musk ox, the Arctic hare, the lemming, the wolf, the polar fox. On the coasts, polar bears can be observed, notably by taking the train from Winnipeg to Churchill, on the shores of Hudson Bay, in northern Manitoba (those who cannot go that far can go to the Canadian Polar Bear Habitat in Cochrane, Ontario). Among the birds of the tundra, the Eskimo curlew is in danger of extinction.
The ice deserts and mountains of the Canadian Arctic are environments that are practically devoid of life: in the former, the soil, which is exclusively glacial, prohibits all flora and therefore all fauna, while in the latter, the violent winds and the altitude add to the rigours of the polar climate. These environments are protected in Auyuittuq National Park, which includes the Penny Ice Cap on Baffin Island, Nunavut.
