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K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre
Environmental Studies

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School's out! Time to get outside.

Join us for monthly Firefly Sessions around the bonfire. Sessions take place on Thursdays twice a month. Come out for a lunchtime wellness session or an evening of music and marshmallows.
Our emblem featuring Scotch thistle, mayflower and a honeybee

The mayflower was Harriet Lila Irving's favourite wildflower. The honeybee symbolizes hard work and pollination. The Scotch thistle represents Scotland, the Irving family's ancestral home.

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Firefly Sessions

Join us around the bonfire this spring and summer for some good old fashioned fun.

Seedy Saturday

Look for us on Saturday April 13 at the Wolfville Famer's Market. Make a donation to our seed bank and receive a Verbena hastata, blue vervain seed package or plant.

Explore the Habitats

The main outdoor collection of the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens is divided into nine unique habitats that are found in the Acadian Forest Region.

Deciduous Woodlands
Freshwater Inland Marsh
Bog
Coastal Headlands
Mixed Woodlands
Calcareous Woodlands
Wet Woodlands
Sand Barrens
Coniferous Woodlands

Habitats of the Acadian Forest Region

Deciduous Woodlands

A predominately hardwood forest with broad-leaved trees and associated shade tolerant plants. A great diversity of fauna can be found on both the forest ﬂoor and within the crowns of trees.

In early spring before new leaves of deciduous trees unfurl, a group of plants known as the spring ephemerals rapidly arise from the forest ﬂoor. Ephemeral means “short-lived” and describes the short period in which these special plants emerge, bloom, produce seed and die back. As springtime day length increases, the plants capitalize on the brief window of high light availability before the trees leaf out. As the tree canopy thickens overhead with the growth of new leaves, the forest ﬂoor becomes increasingly shady and the above ground shoots of the ephemerals die back. In their brief time above ground they store food reserves in their roots or other underground structures, before lying dormant until the following year. Because of their ﬂeeting nature and early often showy blooms, spring ephemerals are a beloved herald of spring.

Common Plants: Sugar maple, American beech, yellow birch, ﬂy-honeysuckle, beaked hazelnut.

Trout lily (Erythronium americanum)

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

Purple trillium (Trillium erectum)

Habitats of the Acadian Forest Region

Freshwater Inland Marsh

An extremely productive habitat formed by the natural infilling of ponds and shallow lakes. Marshes provide extensive breeding and foraging grounds for a high diversity of organisms. The soil remains saturated due to poor drainage and is composed of fine mineral sediment and decaying organic matter.

Freshwater Marshes are one of the most ecologically diverse and important habitats of the Acadian Forest Region. They provide a home for many organisms including aquatic invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, fish, waterfowl, and mammals. Freshwater Marshes also act as natural filters, purifying ground and surface water. Historically viewed only as mosquito breeding grounds, many marshlands were filled in and destroyed. The habitat's importance in supporting overall ecosystem health is now widely recognized and many marshlands have been restored to a healthy and productive status.

Common Plants: Common arrowhead, broad-leaved cattail, sallow sedge, turtlehead, duckweed.

Fragrant water-lily (Nymphaea odorata)

Cross section of Freshwater Inland Marsh

Habitats of the Acadian Forest Region

Bog

An open habitat with restricted drainage dominated by sphagnum moss and low, leathery-leaved shrubs. Soil is usually low in nutrients and highly acidic. Because this habitat type has been around for millions of years, some plants have evolved complex mechanisms of ensnaring and digesting small prey for food.

Highly specialized carnivorous plants absorb nitrogen and other nutrients from prey rather than the soil. The pitcher plant is one of 18 species of carnivorous plants found in the Acadian Forest Region, many of which are found in Bogs. Individual pitchers, formed from specialized leaves collect water creating a habitat for speciﬁc ﬂy, mosquito and midge larvae. Brightly colored pitchers, mimicking ﬂowers attract small prey such as ants or small insects. While feeding on the sugary secretions released by glands on the lip of the pitcher, prey often fall into the water below. Downward pointing hairs lining the pitcher prevent the prey’s escape. The resident larvae feed on the drowned prey and excrete waste into the water of the pitcher making nutrients accessible to the plant. This illustrates an incredible example of a mutually beneﬁcial relationship between plants and animals.

Common Plants: Bog huckleberry, round-leaved sundew, leather-leaf, black spruce, sweet gale.

Lambkill (Kalmia angustifolia)

Species at Risk, Thread-leaved sundew (Drosera filiformis)

Labrador tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum)

Habitats of the Acadian Forest Region

Coastal Headlands

An exposed, open coastal habitat with little soil where vegetation is slow growing and often stunted due to high winds, low nutrient availability and salt spray.

Life for coastal plants isn’t easy and many have evolved physical features to survive in such an unforgiving habitat. Many plant species found in this environment have thick, stiff leaves and short, stocky branches to help withstand the abrasive and harsh salt-laden winds. Thick leaves also help protect against dehydration from wind and intense sun exposure. Plants growing in this habitat often take the form of “krummholz” or “tuckamore” which refers to the twisted, dense, stunted growth habit of trees and shrubs growing in harsh, windy environments.

Common Plants: White spruce, bayberry, creeping juniper, foxberry and lowbush blueberry.

High Head Trail. Prospect, NS

Krummholz formation

Black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) berries

Habitats of the Acadian Forest Region

Mixed Woodlands

A diverse woodland containing both needle-bearing and broad-leaf trees. The variable forest canopy and well deﬁned understory support a large variety of ground ﬂora.

Forests composed of both deciduous and coniferous trees are common in many places across the Acadian Forest Region since it is located between the needle-bearing Boreal Forest of the north and the broad leafed Deciduous Forest of the south. Because of this unique intermingling of northern and southern species, this mixture is a key deﬁning characteristic of the Acadian Forest Region. In all, the Acadian Forest Region is home to 32 native tree species; 22 deciduous and 10 coniferous. Common Mixed Woodlands often include the mixing of species such as red spruce, white pine, sugar maple and yellow birch. The combination of these species creates a canopy with structural diversity and a unique suite of understory species, allowing for a habitat rich in wildlife.

Common Plants: American beech, eastern hermlock, goldthread, wild sarsaparilla, wild lily-of-the-valley.

Mixed woodland in autumn at Kejimkujik National Park

Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)

Wild lily-of-the-valley (Maianthemum canadense)

Habitats of the Acadian Forest Region

Calcareous Woodlands

A forest habitat found in areas of gypsum, limestone, marble, and dolomite outcrops, often containing sinkholes and highly varied terrain due to the solubility of the underlying bedrock. Soil is alkaline (pH > 7) and can support lush ground ﬂora including many orchids. An open canopy and limited shrub layer create a dappled shade environment.

Lady’s-slippers are beautiful, native orchids that brighten the forest with their ﬂowers every spring and summer. The Acadian Forest Region is home to four species of lady’s-slippers. Three of these are strongly associated with Calcareous Woodlands and one is considered at risk at least partly due to habitat loss. Essential to these orchids’ survival are their associations with fungi in the soil called mycorrhizae. Mycorrhizae (myco=fungus, rhizae=root) are a speciﬁc group of fungi that colonize a plant’s root system, providing the plant with increased water and nutrient absorption. The mycorrhizae beneﬁt by obtaining sugars from the plant’s roots. This interaction is so crucial to the lady’s-slipper that the plant’s tiny seeds cannot germinate without mycorrhizal association.

Common Plants: Red osier dogwood, Canada anemone, round-leaved hepatica, soapberry.

Species at Risk, Yellow lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium parviflorum)

Species at Risk, Ram’s head lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium arietinum)

Canada anemone (Anemone canadensis)

Habitats of the Acadian Forest Region

Wet Woodlands

A habitat found in areas where water remains in the soil for extended periods of time, thereby producing wet conditions unsuitable for many upland species. This forest is often characterized by a dense ground cover of fern species.

Alongside water-tolerant trees such as red maple, black spruce and eastern white cedar, an ancient family of plants thrives in the Wet Woodlands – the ferns. Many fern families that exist today appeared 45–50 million years ago. Unlike most plants, ferns do not produce ﬂowers and seeds, instead they generate spores in specialized structures on the underside of their fronds (leaves.) Some fern species, such as the bracken fern are highly toxic to livestock and humans, while others can be eaten. The unfurled, immature fern frond – or ﬁddlehead – of the ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) is traditionally eaten in spring across parts of eastern Canada and northeastern United States.

Common Plants: Red maple, speckled alder, lambkill, Jack-in-the-pulpit, rhodora, sphagnum moss.

Spore structures on the underside of a wood fern (Dryopteris marginalis)

Jack in the pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

Striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum) in flower

Habitats of the Acadian Forest Region

Sand Barrens

A dry, exposed heathland characterized by extensive ground cover composed of low shrubs, areas of dense lichen cover, and scattered red and white pine. This habitat is deﬁned by very well-drained, sandy and acidic soil created from glacial outwash deposits.

Common Plants: Red pine, broom-crowberry, bracken fern, blueberry, sweetfern, bearberry.

Harsh, fragile and increasingly rare, the Annapolis Valley Sand Barrens are one of the most fragmented and at risk habitats in the Acadian Forest Region. This habitat type, with its relatively warm climate, barren conditions, and signature plant species such as broom-crowberry, mimics similar barrens found along the Atlantic Coastal Plain, a biogeographic region deﬁned by ﬂat landscapes that span from New Jersey to Florida. The habitat is largely dependent upon ﬁre for ecological stability. Fires burn off shade-creating vegetation and help keep the habitat free of encroaching trees. Fire adapted species such as bracken fern, blueberry and sweetfern are able to quickly regrow from roots and rhizomes after ﬁre, while broom-crowberry regrows from seeds stored underground by ants. Housing, agriculture, and loss of crucial natural ﬁre disturbance has threatened the balance of this dwindling habitat, with less than 3% of original Sand Barren vegetation remaining in the Annapolis Valley.

Hudsonia, broom-crowberry, lichens and pine at the Annapolis Valley Sand Barrens

Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uvaursi)

Species at Risk, Rock rose (Crocanthemum canadense)

Broom-crowberry (Corema conradii)

Habitats of the Acadian Forest Region

Coniferous Woodlands

A softwood forest composed of mostly needle-bearing trees. Acidic soils and low light lead to minimal understory and herbaceous layers, with low diversity of soil organisms. The ground is primarily covered with species of mosses and liverworts, fallen trees, seasonal mushrooms and conifer needles.

Common Plants: Eastern hemlock, white pine, red spruce, balsam ﬁr, pink lady’s-slipper.

Cushions of moss on the forest floor

Emetic russula (Russula emetic)

Mosses often dominate the forest ﬂoor of the Coniferous Woodland as few leafy plants can thrive in this damp, shady and often acidic environment. There is more to moss than the lush, green, cushiony form that we’re used to seeing. During sexual reproduction, a delicate stalk-like spore-producing structure grows at the end of each leafy stem. These structures, called sporophytes, can be spotted if you look closely at mats of moss. Numerous species of lichens are also found in Coniferous Woods on the bark and branches of trees, and occasionally on the soil. Some lichens such as boreal felt lichen passively absorb pollutants from the air and precipitation making them excellent indicators of air pollution and acid rain. In areas with high levels of acid rain and air pollution, many lichen species simply won’t survive.

Species at Risk, Boreal felt lichen (Erioderma pedicellatum)

Leafy green moss with sporophytes

Ghost flower (Monotropa uniflora), parasitic species

Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens