~The Natural Province~......NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

[olena]

Provincial Flower

White Mountain-avens
Dryas octopetala
Eight-petal Mountain-avens, Mountain Dryas

Description A small, prostrate plant often in large patches, the woody stems rooting, with 1 cream or white flower at end of each erect, leafless flower stalk.
Flowers: about 1" (2.5 cm) wide; 8-10 narrow, pointed calyx lobes; hairy, darkened by stalked glands; petals 8-10, broad; stamens many.
Leaves: to 1 1/4" (3.1 cm) long, lanceolate, often very hairy on lower surface, edges scalloped and rolled downward.
Fruit: many, seed-like, with long plumes, all packed together in a round, feathery head.
Height: creeper, flower stalks 2-10" (5-25 cm) high.

Flower June-August.
Habitat Open, often rocky places from middle elevations to above the timberline.
Range Across northern North America; south to northern Washington, northeastern Oregon, central Idaho, and Colorado.
Discussion This species often grows with dwarf willows, the prostrate habits of each providing protection against cold, drying winds.

 

[olena]

Provincial Fish

Arctic Grayling
Thymallus arcticus


Description To 30" (76 cm); 6 lbs (2.7 kg). Elongate, compressed; back bluish-black to purple, sides silvery blue-gray often with pinkish cast and anterior dark spots; lower sides have dark stripe from pectoral to pelvic fin, belly grayish. Head short, mouth extends to middle of eye; teeth small. Fins dusky to dark; dorsal fin with light margin, 17-25 rays; adipose fin present; caudal fin deeply forked. Lateral line complete, straight, 77-103 scales.
Habitat Clear, cold waters of rivers, creeks, and lakes.
Range Hudson Bay west to Alaska, south to Montana; n. Great Lakes; introduced outside native range.
Discussion The Arctic Grayling is an attractive fish and one of the most important sport fishes in northern Canada and Alaska. It has been an important food source for native Alaskans in remote areas.

 

[olena]

Provincial Bird

Gyrfalcon
Falco rusticolus


Description 22" (56 cm). W. 4' (1.2 m). The largest of the true falcons. 3 color phases occur: blackish, white, and gray-brown. All phases are more uniformly colored than Peregrine Falcon, which has bold dark "mustaches" and hood and a proportionately larger head.
Voice A chattering scream, kak-kak-kak-kak.
Habitat Arctic tundra and rocky cliffs, usually near water. Each winter a few move south to coastal beaches and marshes.
Nesting Usually 4 whitish or buff eggs, finely spotted with reddish brown, on a rock ledge or in the abandoned nest of a Rough-legged Hawk or Common Raven.
Range Breeds on tundra of northern Alaska and northern Canada. Winters in breeding range and also rarely but regularly south to northern tier of states, especially along coasts.
Discussion It is a memorable occasion when a Gyrfalcon is sighted on a coastal salt marsh or over open country inland. In the Far North it feeds mainly on ptarmigans, but during the summer months it also takes shorebirds, eiders, and gulls, and makes frequent raids on the great colonies of murres and Dovekies.

 

[olena]

Provincial Tree

Tamarack
Larix laricina
American Larch

Description Deciduous tree with straight, tapering trunk and thin, open, conical crown of horizontal branches; a shrub at timberline.
Height: 40-80' (12-24 m).
Diameter: 1-2' (0.3-0.6 m).
Needles: deciduous; 3/4-1" (2-2.5 cm) long, 1/32" (1 mm) wide. Soft, very slender, 3-angled; crowded in cluster on spur twigs, also scattered and alternate on leader twigs. Light blue-green, turning yellow in autumn before shedding.
Bark: reddish-brown; scaly, thin.
Twigs: orange-brown; stout, hairless, with many spurs or short side twigs.
Cones: 1/2-3/4" (12-19 mm) long; elliptical; rose red turning brown; upright, stalkless; falling in second year; several overlapping rounded cone-scales; paired brown long-winged seeds.
Habitat Wet peaty soils of bogs and swamps; also in drier upland loamy soils; often in pure stands.
Range Across N. North America near northern limit of trees from Alaska east to Labrador, south to N. New Jersey, and west to Minnesota; local in N. West Virginia and W. Maryland; from near sea level to 1700-4000' (518-1219 m) southward.
Discussion One of the northernmost trees, the hardy Tamarack is useful as an ornamental in very cold climates. Indians used the slender roots to sew together strips of birch bark for their canoes. Roots bent at right angles served the colonists as "knees" in small ships, joining the ribs to deck timbers. The durable lumber is used as framing for houses, railroad cross-ties, poles, and pulpwood. The larch sawfly defoliates stands in infrequent years, causing damage or death.

Previous Natural States
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Delaware
Florida
Iowa
Kansas
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Montana
New Hampshire
New Mexico
New York
Ohio
Oregon
Rhode Island
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Washington
West Virginia


Previous Natural Provinces
Manitoba
New Brunswick
Ontario
Prince Edward Island
Quebec

 

[Snowwark]

An Artic Grayling is an attractive fish? Hmmm....you know, it is kind of attractive, for a fish. No big whiskers or any really weird stuff sticking out of it...lol.

I love the pic of the Gyrfalcon! Without having seen it's other colour phases, I bet the white is the nicest.

This is great Heather, thank you very much!

I'll put up a link on the Canadian board.

 

[olena]

Cool! I just love Canada's birds....