Taiga Climate/Season Paragraph

The climate of the Taiga is a very interesting thing, first of all, winter is VERY cold and usually lasts for 6-7 months, spring brings flowers and frozen ponds melt, summer is short and rainy, and autumn is short and not so rainy. The Taiga also has long days in summer and long nights in winter. Other facts include that precipitation is 12” - 33”, (about average) the Taiga is unfortunately prone to wildfires, and the temperature is often below freezing. The Taiga has a very extreme climate, don’t you think?

Taiga Animals and Animal Adaptations

There are many different species of animals in the Taiga, like bears, birds, moose, and kanines. These animals must be able to survive the harsh freezing cold temperatures of the taiga. Foxes and wolves have thick fur that keeps them warm in winter, and bears are hibernating the entire time. Many birds just ditch the Taiga outright and migrate to warmer places down south. These are some adaptations the animals have to survive in the Taiga. Food in the Taiga is usually other animals for predators like rabbits, elk, and squirrels, and grass and aquatic plants for herbivores like moose.

Taiga Plants and Plant Adaptations

The plants of the Taiga are few and far between, it almost exclusively consists of trees. Such trees include the balsam fir, spruce, and hemlock. These trees are evergreens, and the others do lose their leaves in the fall. They’re shaped like cones, to prevent damage, and their waxy needles keep them warm in the cold, and prevent them from drying out.The evergreen trees usually develop thinly and close together. The dark shade of their needles, allows them to start photosynthesis earlier than most plants.

Taiga Landforms

The landforms of the Taiga are also very intriguing. The landforms of the Taiga feature mountains, caves, narrow valleys, low basins, forests, and plains. The Taiga is kind of like a hiking mountain, rocky, cold, (usually) grassy and full of nature, it also has many mountains itself. Land in the Taiga is also very varied, in one glance you can see a beautiful lake, a thick green forest, and a steep, snowy mountain simultaneously. There are even dormant volcanos! Much of the Taigas land was formed by glaciers a long time ago. Due to the Taiga usually being in very cold temperatures, much of the land is covered in snow, which will eventually melt in the summer and water the trees and grass. The Taiga’s landforms are very extreme.

Threats to the Taiga

There are many threats to the Taiga. First of all, due to how close trees grow to one another, and how compact they are, the Taiga is prone to wildfires. Also, tree chopping is very bad for the Taiga for obvious reasons. There are also insects that hurt the biome. Strong enough winds can actually blow over trees, if they are grown on thick moss. Climate change is also bad for the Taiga as everywhere. A lot of fish are even poisoned by mercury, which leads to less food for carnivores. Other troubles include mining, herbicide, and road building. The most we can do to help is decrease our use of paper and wood products, decreasing the demand for them and therefore saving trees.

I hope this interested you and maybe persuaded you to visit and enjoy the snowy taiga. Thank you!