~The Natural Province~.....NOVA SCOTIA

[olena]

Provincial Berry

Highbush Blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosum


Description A multi-stemmed shrub with green, or often red, twigs and terminal clusters of small, urn-shaped white flowers.
Flowers: 1/4-1/2" (6-13 mm) long; corolla 5-toothed.
Leaves: 1 1/2-3" (3.8-7.5 cm) long; elliptic, entire, smooth above but usually somewhat hairy beneath.
Fruit: blue berry with whitish bloom.
Height: 5-15' (1.5-4.5 m).
Flowering: Flowers, May-June; fruit June-August.
Habitat Swamps or dry upland woods.
Range Quebec to Nova Scotia; south to Georgia; west to Alabama, north to Wisconsin.
Discussion Cultivated blueberries have been derived from the tall-growing shrub. It is often found in wet areas, but closely related growths occur in dry sites. These plants are very important to wildlife: their berries are relished by songbirds, game birds, bear, and small mammals; the twigs and foliage are eaten by deer and rabbits. Because of their food value and spectacular red fall foliage, these shrubs are excellent for naturalized landscaping.

 

[olena]

Provincial Flower

Trailing Arbutus
Epigaea repens
Mayflower

Description A trailing, evergreen plant with sweet-scented pink or white flowers in terminal and axillary clusters on hairy stems.
Flowers: about 1/2" (1.3 cm) wide; corolla tubular, hairy within, flaring into 5 lobes, each as long as the corolla tube.
Leaves: 3/4-3" (2-7.5 cm) long; leathery, oval, with hairy margins.
Fruit: capsule splitting open into 5 parts, exposing whitish pulp covered with tiny seeds.
Height: creeper.
Flower February-May.
Habitat Sandy or rocky woods, especially on acid soil.
Range Quebec and Nova Scotia; south from New England and New York to Florida; west to Mississippi and Ohio.
Discussion For this favorite wildflower with an exquisite fragrance, one must search among the fallen leaves in early spring. It favors exposed sites where the plants are not smothered by leaf litter. It appears to be sensitive to abrupt environmental disturbances, such as lumbering and grazing, which may account for its present scarcity. It is difficult to cultivate.

 

[olena]

Provincial Bird

Osprey
Pandion haliaetus


Description 21-24" (53-61 cm). W. 4' 6 "-6' (1.4-1.8 m). A large, long-winged "fish hawk." Brown above and white below; head white with dark line through eye and on side of face. Wing shows distinctive bend at "wrist." At a distance, can resemble a gull.
Voice Loud musical chirping.
Habitat Lakes, rivers, and seacoasts.
Nesting 2-4 white, pink, or buff eggs, blotched with brown, in a bulky mass of sticks and debris placed in a tree, on a telephone pole, on rocks, or on flat ground.
Range Breeds from Alaska, north-central Canada, and Newfoundland south to Arizona and New Mexico; also along Gulf Coast and on Atlantic Coast south to Florida. Winters regularly in North America north to Gulf Coast and California. Also in South America and Old World.
Discussion Ospreys search for fish by flying and hovering over the water, watching the surface below. When prey is sighted, an Osprey dives steeply, its talons outspread, and splashes into the water. It quickly resurfaces and, if it has made a catch, flies off, adjusting the fish in its claws so that the head is pointed forward. Ospreys declined drastically because of pesticides during the 1950s and 1960s, but since then they have made a comeback and are nesting again in areas from which they had disappeared.

 

[olena]

Provincial Tree

Red Spruce
Picea rubens


Description The only spruce southward in eastern mountains, a handsome tree with broad or narrow, conical crown.
Height: 50-80' (15-24 m).
Diameter: 1-2' (0.3-0.6 m).
Needles: evergreen; 1/2-5/8" (12-15 mm) long. Stiff, 4-angled, sharp-pointed; spreading on all sides of twig from very short leafstalks. Shiny green, with whitish lines.
Bark: reddish-brown; thin, scaly.
Twigs: brown; slender, finely hairy, rough with peglike bases.
Cones: 1 1/4-1 1/2" (3-4 cm) long; cylindrical; reddish-brown; hanging down on short, straight stalk; falling at maturity; cone-scales stiff, rounded, often finely toothed; paired brown long-winged seeds.
Habitat Rocky mountain soils; often in pure stands.
Range Ontario east to Nova Scotia; from New England south in mountains to W. North Carolina and E. Tennessee; to 4500-6500' (1372-1981 m) in south.
Discussion Extensive virgin spruce-fir forests are preserved in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This species is a handsome ornamental; the wood has uses similar to White Spruce. Spruce gum, a forerunner of modern chewing gum made from chicle (gum from a tropical American tree), was obtained commercially from resin of both Red and Black spruce trunks. The young leafy twigs were boiled with flavoring and sugar to prepare spruce beer. Where the ranges overlap, Black Spruce is distinguishable from Red by its smaller dull gray cones curved downward on short stalks and remaining attached.

 

[olena]

Provincial Dog

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever

Description: Somewhat resembling a golden retriever, the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever is a muscular dog with lively eyes, strong legs and a feathered tail. The legs and under the body are also feathered.
Country of Origin: Canada
Height: 17-21 inches (43-53 cm.)
Weight: 37-51 pounds (17-23 kg.)
Colors: Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever come in various shades of red and orange.
Coat: Naturally water repellent, the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever's coat should be brushed regularly and only dry shampooed occasionally to avoid losing the natural oils that make the coat water repellent.
Temperament: Devoted and loving the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers are easy to train, eager to please excellent with children and adore playing games that involve retrieving. They are patient, and only bark when danger is present.
Life Expectancy: About 12-14 years.
Living Environment: Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers do well in cold climates and love to play fetch for exercise.

Previous Natural States
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Idaho
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Montana
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico

New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Washington
West Virginia


Previous Natural Provinces
Alberta
British Columbia
Manitoba
New Brunswick
Newfoundland
Northwest Territories
Ontario
Prince Edward Island
Quebec
Saskatchewan
Yukon Territory

 

[Snowwark]

My inlaws (originally from Nova Scotia, but residing in Ontario), travel back to NS every summer to pick blueberries. Friends of theirs own a blueberry farm, and they go help with the harvesting. They had a special freezer made for their motorhome, so they could bring home lots of berries. Lucky for us, they like to share!

The Trailing Arbutus (Mayflower), is lovely!

Thank you, Olena!!

 

[olena]

I had to include the dog. I love doggies....

 

[mbb]

Originally posted by olena
I had to include the dog. I love doggies....

Wouldn't be home - I mean, Nova Scotia - without a dog

Thanks Olena...

 

[nativetxn]

I love your photos and great information, as always, Heather!

 

[Snowwark]

Wow Olena, 2 pages of replies on the Canadian Board to the Nova Scotia thread!!

Woot!! Woot!!