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travel / great places / canadian snapshots / cypress hills
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Cypress Hills
Flora and Fauna
No matter how you choose
to travel through Cypress Hills — hiking, cycling, skiing or riding horse
back on
the trails, boating through waterways or driving along the driving tour —
you'll notice that the area is made up of four distinct ecosystems, making
it a place exceptionally rich in wildlife and plant species. Here is a brief
description of those ecosystems and some of the wildlife you might spot on
a visit.
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Lodgepole pine trees such as these were mistaken for Cypress by early French settlers,
thus giving the area its name. |
The montane ecosystem: The montane ecosystem in Cypress Hills is made up of three forest types -- lodgepole pine, aspen and white spruce woodland.
The lodgepole pine, which
makes up the predominant forest in Cypress Hills, was named for its long
straight
trunk. Native people used them for teepee poles, and French fur traders mistook
them for cypress or jack pines - thus giving the area its name. Extending
from Cypress Hills in Saskatchewan to the western extremity of the hills
in Alberta, the lodgepole forest grows in drier areas and at higher elevations
than other forests in the region. Lodgepole pines can also be found growing
singly on the grass-covered plateau, where they take on a bushier appearance
than in the forests.
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| The aspen woodlands. |
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Extending below the lodgepole forests in a belt along the north side of the plateau are the aspen woodlands, which include balsam
poplar and trembling aspen. The aspen have also spread out onto surrounding prairies, following moist creek beds, and spread to
the top of the plateau, mixed in with the grasslands. Under the canopy of trees many other plant species are found, including
Saskatoon berries, chokecherries, willows, hawthorns, northern gooseberries, wild white geraniums and wild strawberries.
The white spruce forest is found in cool, moist areas near springs on north facing slopes. It is a low-growing forest made up of three vertical layers: the upper layer, at the height of an average adult, is made up of red-osier dogwoods, willows and low-bush cranberries; the mid layer,
at about a metre tall, is made up of red baneberries; and lower to the ground are bunchberries, twinflowers, orchids and mosses.
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The woodlands provide
shelter and cover for red squirrels, porcupines, chipmunks, mule deer, white-tailed
deer,
elk, moose, white-footed mice, snowshoe hares,
bobcats and the occasional lynx. The lodgepole pine forests also provide
an excellent habitat for a variety of birds, including the yellow-rumped
warbler,
dark-eyed junco, hairy woodpecker, great horned owl and ruffed grouse in
the lodgepole pine forests. The aspen and white-spruce forests support populations
of mountain bluebird, rufous-sided towhee, Swainson's thrush, least flycatcher,
western wood peewee, yellow-breasted chat, turkey vulture and wild turkey.
The fescue grassland
ecosystem: This ecosystem is found at the highest elevations of the Cypress
Hills. The
dominant species is rough fescue, but other grasses
found here include Idaho fescue, wild and Parry's oatgrass and awned wheatgrass.
Along with the grasses are abundant natural wildflowers, including the beautiful
yellow flowers of the shrubby cinquefoil, the purple prairie crocus, pink
mountain shooting star and yellow gallardia.
While most mammals are drawn to the cover of the forested areas or wetlands, this ecosystem is home
to such birds as the savannah sparrow, western meadowlark and mountain bluebird, the latter of which is making a comeback in the area.
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The mixed grass prairie ecosystem: On the eastern part of the plateau and on the dry, south-facing
slopes and adjacent plains is the mixed grass prairie. The most common grasses here are wheatgrass, speargrass,
blue grama grass and various dryland sedges. Ground juniper and creeping juniper are also common. Many legumes grow in
this area too, including early yellow locoweed, purple prairie clover and golden bean.
If you're looking for animals, here you'll find the Richardson ground squirrel and the thirteen-lined ground squirrel,
as well as the northern pocket gopher. The white-tailed jackrabbit, the red fox and the coyote also prefer the open grassland.
Birds found here include the red-tail and Swainson's hawk, the horned lark, McCown's
longspur, lark bunting and the sage grouse. Lucky birdwatchers might also
spot the occasional burrowing owl, ferugenous hawk, and bald or golden eagle.
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| Shoreline of Elkwater Lake |
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The wetland ecosystem: The last ecosystem found in the Cypress Hills is the wetland ecosystem.
It consists of luscious plants growing in or near creeks, lakes, ponds and spring-fed marshes,
and includes aquatic plants such as the slender naiad and yellow water crowfoot. Plants that root in the mud around ponds,
lakes and marshes such as cattail rushes, march reed grass and tall manna grass, and trees such as willows, balsam, poplar,
river birch, swamp birch and some white spruce are also found in wetlands. Numerous orchid species and the early flowering
spring beauty, a montane plant that flowers as soon as the snow melts in the spring colour the moist area.
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The wild turkey was introduced into the region in 1962 |
Many fur-bearing mammals such as mink, muskrat, and several varieties of weasels live along the water.
Moose were introduced to the area in 1956 and can be found in many wetland areas, along with beavers that
construct dams in the creeks. The area is also a haven to many birds: trumpeter swans, which were once believed to be near extinct,
have been sighted in the area, while tundra swans, snow geese and Canada geese are often seen migrating south in the fall. Among the
other bird species that frequent the area are mallards, blue and green-winged teals, American widgeons, kingfishers and great blue herons.
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