Editing Alberta (section)

=== Ecology ===
==== Flora ====
[[File:Rosa acicularis 8448.JPG|thumb|The [[Rosa acicularis|wild rose]] is the provincial flower of Alberta.]]
In central and northern Alberta the arrival of spring is marked by the early flowering of the [[Pulsatilla nuttalliana|prairie crocus]] (''Pulsatilla nuttalliana'') ''[[anemone]]''; this member of the buttercup family has been recorded flowering as early as March, though April is the usual month for the general population.<ref>[http://plantwatch.naturealberta.ca/plant-information/prairie-crocus Prairie Crocus Information] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515015621/http://plantwatch.naturealberta.ca/plant-information/prairie-crocus |date=May 15, 2013 }} Alberta Plant Watch. Author Annora Brown. Published: no date given. Retrieved August 28, 2013.</ref> Other prairie flora known to flower early are the [[Thermopsis rhombifolia|golden bean]] (''Thermopsis rhombifolia'') and [[Rosa acicularis|wild rose]] (''Rosa acicularis'').<ref name="Jennings2010">{{cite book |author=Neil L. Jennings |title=In Plain Sight: Exploring the Natural Wonders of Southern Alberta |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BuUCxztT6ycC&pg=PA98 |access-date=August 28, 2013 |year=2010 |publisher=Rocky Mountain Books Ltd |isbn=978-1-897522-78-3 |page=98 |archive-date=June 28, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140628093356/http://books.google.com/books?id=BuUCxztT6ycC&pg=PA98 |url-status=live }}</ref> Members of the [[Helianthus|sunflower]] (''Helianthus'') family blossom on the prairie in the summer months between July and September.<ref name="Angier1974">{{cite book |author=Bradford Angier |title=Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants |url=https://archive.org/details/fieldguidetoedib00angi |url-access=registration |access-date=August 31, 2013 |year=1974 |publisher=Stackpole Books |isbn=978-0-8117-2018-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/fieldguidetoedib00angi/page/220 220] }}</ref> The southern and east central parts of Alberta are covered by short prairie grass,<ref name="Johnsgard2005">{{cite book |author=Paul A. Johnsgard |title=Prairie Dog Empire: A Saga of the Shortgrass Prairie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v1DKQL0OBigC&pg=PA181 |access-date=August 31, 2013 |year=2005 |publisher=U of Nebraska Press |isbn=978-0-8032-2604-3 |page=181 |archive-date=June 28, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140628093556/http://books.google.com/books?id=v1DKQL0OBigC&pg=PA181 |url-status=live }}</ref> which dries up as summer lengthens, to be replaced by hardy perennials such as the [[Ratibida|prairie coneflower]] (''Ratibida''), [[fleabane]], and [[Sagebrush|sage]] (''[[Artemisia (plant)|Artemisia]]''). Both yellow and white [[Melilotus|sweet clover]] (''Melilotus'') can be found throughout the southern and central areas of the province.

The trees in the parkland region of the province grow in clumps and belts on the hillsides. These are largely [[deciduous]], typically [[aspen]], [[Populus|poplar]], and [[willow]]. Many species of willow and other shrubs grow in virtually any terrain. North of the North Saskatchewan River, evergreen forests prevail for thousands of square kilometres. Aspen poplar, [[Populus balsamifera|balsam poplar]] (''Populus balsamifera'') or in some parts [[Populus deltoides|cottonwood]] (''Populus deltoides''), and [[Betula papyrifera|paper birch]] (''Betula papyrifera'') are the primary large deciduous species. [[Conifer]]s include [[jack pine]] (''Pinus banksiana''), Rocky Mountain pine, [[Pinus contorta|lodgepole pine]] (''Pinus contorta''), both white and black [[spruce]], and the deciduous conifer [[Larix laricina|tamarack]] (''Larix laricina'').

==== Fauna ====
[[File:Bighorn Sheep - Kananaskis.jpg|thumb|left|A [[bighorn sheep]] in [[Kananaskis Country]]. The bighorn sheep is the provincial mammal of Alberta.]]
The four climatic regions ([[alpine climate|alpine]], [[Taiga|boreal forest]], [[Aspen parkland|parkland]], and [[prairie]]) of Alberta are home to many different species of animals. The south and central prairie was the homeland of the [[American bison]], also known as buffalo, with its grasses providing pasture and breeding ground for millions of buffalo. The buffalo population was decimated during early settlement, but since then, buffalo have made a comeback, living on farms and in parks all over Alberta.

[[Herbivore]]s are found throughout the province. [[Moose]], [[mule deer]], [[elk]], and [[white-tailed deer]] are found in the wooded regions, and [[pronghorn]] can be found in the prairies of southern Alberta. [[Bighorn sheep]] and [[mountain goat]]s live in the Rocky Mountains. Rabbits, [[porcupine]]s, [[striped skunk|skunks]], squirrels, and many species of rodents and reptiles live in every corner of the province. Alberta is home to only one venomous snake species, the [[Crotalus viridis|prairie rattlesnake]].

Alberta is home to many large [[carnivore]]s such as [[wolf|wolves]], [[grizzly bear]]s, [[American black bear|black bears]], and [[Cougar|mountain lions]], which are found in the mountains and wooded regions. Smaller carnivores of the [[canidae|canine]] and [[Felidae|feline]] families include [[coyote]]s, [[red fox]]es, [[Canada lynx]], and [[bobcat]]s. [[Wolverine]]s can also be found in the northwestern areas of the province.
[[File:Alberta Department of Public Health Rat Poster (26497442131).jpg|thumb|Alberta Department of Public Health rat poster (1948)]]
Central and northern Alberta and the region farther north are the nesting ground of many migratory birds. Vast numbers of ducks, [[goose|geese]], [[swan]]s and [[pelican]]s arrive in Alberta every spring and nest on or near one of the hundreds of small lakes that dot northern Alberta. [[Eagle]]s, [[hawk]]s, owls, and [[crow]]s are plentiful, and a huge variety of smaller seed and insect-eating birds can be found. Alberta, like other [[Temperate climate|temperate]] regions, is home to [[mosquito]]es, [[fly|flies]], [[wasp]]s, and bees. Rivers and lakes are populated with [[Esox|pike]], [[walleye]], [[Freshwater whitefish|whitefish]], [[rainbow trout|rainbow]], [[Brook trout|speckled]], [[brown trout]], and [[sturgeon]]. Native to the province, the [[bull trout]], is the provincial fish and an official [[Symbols of Alberta|symbol of Alberta]]. Turtles are found in some water bodies in the southern part of the province. Frogs and [[salamander]]s are a few of the [[amphibian]]s that make their homes in Alberta.

Alberta is the only province in Canada — as well as one of the few places in the world — that is free from [[brown rat|Norwegian rat]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex3441?opendocument |title=The History of Rat Control in Alberta |publisher=Alberta Department of Agriculture |access-date=January 11, 2007 |archive-date=August 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828164627/http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex3441?opendocument |url-status=dead }}</ref> Since the early 1950s, the [[Executive Council of Alberta|Government of Alberta]] has operated a rat-control program, which has been so successful that only isolated instances of wild rat sightings are reported, usually of rats arriving in the province aboard trucks or by rail. In 2006, Alberta Agriculture reported zero findings of wild rats; the only rat interceptions have been domesticated rats that have been seized from their owners. It is illegal for individual Albertans to own or keep Norwegian rats of any description; the animals can only be kept in the province by zoos, universities and colleges, and recognized research institutions. In 2009, several rats were
found and captured, in small pockets in southern Alberta,<ref name="Rodents defying Alberta's rat-free claim">{{cite news |url=http://www2.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=e2e136e9-fa2d-45ab-91dc-fe9951d40c3e&p=2 |title=Rodents defying Alberta's rat-free claim |last=Markusoff |first=Jason |date=September 1, 2009 |newspaper=Calgary Herald |access-date=November 12, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120822090845/http://www2.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=e2e136e9-fa2d-45ab-91dc-fe9951d40c3e&p=2 |archive-date=August 22, 2012 }}</ref> putting Alberta's rat-free status in jeopardy. A colony of rats was subsequently found in a landfill near [[Medicine Hat]] in 2012 and again in 2014.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/albertas-rat-free-status-in-jeopardy-more-than-dozen-found-in-landfill/article4483243/ |title=Alberta's rat-free status in jeopardy: More than dozen found in landfill |newspaper=[[The Globe and Mail]] |date=August 15, 2012 |access-date=August 18, 2012 |archive-date=August 17, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120817105207/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/albertas-rat-free-status-in-jeopardy-more-than-dozen-found-in-landfill/article4483243/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/several-rats-found-at-medicine-hat-landfill-one-spotted-at-nearby-farm-1.2602916 |title=Several rats found at Medicine Hat landfill, one spotted at nearby farm |publisher=[[CBC News]] |date=April 8, 2014 |access-date=August 18, 2012 |archive-date=August 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819002313/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/several-rats-found-at-medicine-hat-landfill-one-spotted-at-nearby-farm-1.2602916 |url-status=live }}</ref>