Flora and Fauna in Finland
Finland lies as far north as Alaska or central Siberia. About a quarter of the country lies north of the Arctic Circle, but conditions here are not as harsh as you might think. The Gulf Stream brings so much warm air to north-eastern Europe that average temperatures in southern Finland are about +5°C, and even way up north, they are only a couple of degrees below zero.
The capercaillie is an impressive sight, especially during its elaborate spring courtship displays. Although its numbers have fallen due to the widespread disturbance of forest habitats, there are still more than 100,000 pairs of capercaillie in Finland today.
But the winters are nevertheless so cold that every single lake in the country freezes over each year, as do many coastal waters of the Baltic; while the snow typically stays on the ground for several months. In the summer, in compensation, daytime temperatures can reach 25°C or even 30°C at times, although the growing season typically remains short, at just 3-4 months on average.
Finland's contrasting seasons
Finland's flora and fauna are well adapted to cope with the strongly contrasting seasons. Most plants and animals become inactive during the coldest winter months, and three-quarters of the birds migrate to warmer climes.
Finland's climate combines maritime and continental influences, and this is clearly reflected in the flora and fauna, which include both maritime species, whose main distributions are in the west; and more easterly, continental species.
The strikingly white snowy owl is only found in the northernmost regions of Europe.
The westernmost location of many taiga species
The strikingly white snowy owl is only found in the northernmost regions of Europe. Western species include plants which cannot withstand the harsh winters of continental climates, such as bracken, as well as many seabirds. Eastern species include typical animals and plants of the taiga forests, such as the great grey owl (Strix nebulosa) and Labrador-tea (Ledum palustre). Finland indeed represents the westernmost outpost of the ranges of many taiga species, which extend eastwards through the vast coniferous forests of Russia and Siberia. Easterners like the flying squirrel and the leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata), for example, are not at these latitudes found anywhere west of Finland.
Many common species are in fact relatively recent newcomers, having slowly spread into Finland since the last ice age ended around 10,000 years ago. The natural range of the Norway spruce, for instance, only reached the west coast of Finland some 3,000 years ago – and has still not spread to the south-western coast of Norway, let alone Denmark or the British Isles.
Many European species meet the limits of the conditions they can tolerate at Finland's more northerly latitudes. The oak, the goldfinch, and the brown hare, for instance, are only found in southern parts of the country. Northern Finland is in contrast home to many plants and animals which cannot be found anywhere in central or southern Europe, such as the wolverine, the reindeer and the Siberian jay.
Written for Virtual Finland by Eeva Liisa Hallanaro, M.Sc., Environmental Expert
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