Evergreen Forests

Just outside the North Pole, EVERGREEN FORESTS surround it and extend all the way through Canada, northern Europe, and Russia. This environment has more trees than any other, especially conifers that are designed to withstand the bitterly cold winters. Their needle leaves contain thick resin that keeps the tree from freezing and don't lose water to the dry winter air like a big flat leaf would. Many animals must consume pine cone seeds or the soft leaves and grasses that are only present during the warm summer months because conifers are nearly inedible to them. Animals like the snowshoe hare, a member of the cat family, survive the winter by burrowing underground and consuming soft stems, while the hare is consumed by the Canada lynx.

ANYWHERE WE SEE CONDITIONS THAT ARE NOT EXTREMELY COLD, DRY, OR WET, WE SEE SEASONAL FORESTS. The majority of the trees in these areas are deciduous trees, which have broad, flat, sun-catching leaves that must be shed each winter to prevent the tree from drying out. Some of the trees in these locations are conifers. Plants and animals must be able to endure both heat and cold since weather conditions are so unpredictable. Deer are a common large mammal, and deciduous leaves are an excellent source of food for them. A top predator, owls consume a variety of prey, including fish, frogs, mice, rabbits, insects, snakes, and even other smaller birds.

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