A Walk on the Wild Side

Spanning 50,000 lush acres along the rugged Maine coast, Acadia National Park has a vibrant variety of mountains, deep forests, sweeping meadows and wetlands. This collision of landscapes creates a haven for a thriving diversity of life. Let's step into the wild!

The bald eagle can be spotted along lakes, the coast, or high off Acadia's mountain cliffs. They are opportunists, often eating whatever they can find. But, here in Acadia with the ocean and many freshwater lakes and ponds, bald eagles primarily fish.

Life on the ocean's edge is a delicate balance. Among the rocks, tidepools, and salt water marshes, snails and mussels cling to the rocks and burrow in the mud and help to filter the water. Yet, like much of the park's wildlife, this vital ecosystem faces human threat.

Housed in a single coiled shell, snails navigate the rugged coast using a strong muscular foot. The common periwinkle, abundant and varied in color, features a teardrop-shaped opening. They graze the tidepools, scraping algae from rocks with hundreds of microscopic teeth.

One of the larger crab species in Acadia’s tide pools, they are native to North America’s east coast. They molt their tough outer shells to grow, but are left soft and vulnerable until their new shell hardens. Female crabs mitigate this risk by releasing pheromones prior to molting, to attract a much larger male for mating.

While American bullfrogs and green frogs dominate Acadia’s lakes and ponds, leaving their tadpoles in the shallows, the gray tree frog takes to the canopy. These unique, arboreal amphibians can shift their skin color to perfectly match the tree bark they cling to.

The diversity of Acadia National Park is reflected in its plant life; over 1,000 plant species are found here. The park has a variety of ecosystems bringing together unique factors such as moisture, soil and rock type, and sunlight access determining the types of plants that grow.

Lacking a vascular system, mosses create a mighty, miniature world. They opportunistically carpet Acadia's rocks, trees, and stream beds wherever water flows. Yet, this lush green existence is delicate—without constant moisture, they lose their ability to thrive and survive.

Acadia National Park sits in the boundary area between two forest zones: eastern deciduous forest and northern boreal forest. Northern boreal forest stretches down from the arctic and is dominated by evergreen trees, (conifers) that mostly keep their deep green leaves, called needles, year round.

Located down south, the Eastern deciduous forest is typically dominated by deciduous trees—broad-leafed trees that drop their leaves annually. In Acadia these commonly include trees such as oaks, maples, ash, birch, sycamore and beeches.

Acadia has remarkably dark skies for its proximity to Portland, Boston, and New York. The Milky Way dazzles visitors and reminds us just how large our “home” galaxy truly is. The night skies in national parks, many as breathtaking as here at Acadia, are a protected park resource just like plants and animals.