The prairies

The prairies ecozone occupies the southern part of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The rainshadow cast by the cordillera, combined with high summer temperatures, explains the dryness of this zone and its lack of trees.

On the southern fringe, groves of trembling aspen and balsam poplar dot the prairies; this is what is known as forest parkland, or aspen parkland. The Manitoba prairies have more frequent rainfall, and hence the natural vegetation is made up of tall grasses. As one heads westward, the plant cover becomes shorter and less dense, and is reduced to scrub in drier areas. Southwestern Saskatchewan and southeastern Alberta even harbour two indigenous cactus species: the brittle prickly pear and the prickly pear cactus.

Country road, Saskatchewan ©2003 ICN-RCI / Hemera

The prairies teem with small mammals such as prairie dogs, ground squirrels, gophers, hares and badgers. Today, herds of bison no longer roam the plain, but sometimes a mule deer, a wapiti, a coyote or an antelope will wander by.