2022 Treasured Wetland of Nova Scotia: Pu’tlaqne’katik floodplain

Have you ever basked in a red maple floodplain or felt the quiet stillness there? On the Pu’tlaqne’katik floodplain, near Kejimkujik National Park and the Pu’tlaqne’katik Wilderness Area, ancient-looking red maples line the riverbank, creating not just a sense of calm and awe for those who visit, but rare and biodiverse habitat for the wildlife that call the ecosystem home.
Every spring and fall, the river overflows here and silt-laden, nutrient-saturated floodwater blankets the area. The floodplain soils absorb water when the river is high and then release it in the summer, when it becomes a lush, productive meadow.
Pu’tlaqne’katik floodplain is a popular hiking and bird-watching location-the South Shore Annapolis Trail runs right through here. And the floodplain is a safe haven for many special and even rare species call this place home. While taking a walk here, you might catch a glimpse of Blanding’s turtles, eastern ribbon snakes, monarch butterflies, barn swallows*, and more.
The Nova Scotia Nature Trust has protected several properties-including the Pu’tlaqne’katik floodplain Woodlands, which encompasses the red maple floodplain-in the Pu’tlaqne’katik floodplain area since 2010. These important conservation lands are nestled in a drumlin landscape that hosts an array of lakes, rivers, and wetlands scattered amid Acadian mixed forest. The Pu’tlaqne’katik floodplain runs along the western margin of this property, its dark water stained by tannins leached from nearby bogs.