Geography-Flora & Fauna

Typical vegetation in the Berkshires consists of hardy mountain trees that form a luxuriant canopy with the forest floor littered with ferns and wildflowers. Fir and Spruce are found at higher elevations. Sugar Maple, Sweet Birch, Red Oak, Black Cherry, Eastern Hemlock, American Beech and White Pine are some of the northern hardwood tree species that populate the forest lowlands. Mountain laurel and witch hazel are abundant under the canopy. Winter green and sarsaparilla cover the forest floor. Delicate booms of pinxterbloom azaleas and pink lady’s slipper add to the variety of flora in the Berkshire forests. Altogether the region boasts of a recorded 1,650 species of flowering plants.

Mammals that populate the Berkshire forests include black bear, bobcat and fisher. Birds include the hermit thrush and worm-eating warbler. The region also harbors rare species of moth and butterflies.

The wetlands that consist of fens, marshes, swamps, vernal pools and sedge meadows support a rich variety of plant and animal life. Especially endearing are the beavers.