Known to the local French-Canadians as le Archipel Mingan, the islands have a wide variety of land forms. From the limestone cliffs on the north facing shorelines to sandbar protected salt marshes, one can find boreal forests, gravel barrens, peat bogs, and tidal pools, each with their own unique archipelago botanicals.
The wind blown cliffs look lifeless from a distance. A closer examination, however, shows that even this apparently barren rock is home to a variety of plant life. Adapted to the alkaline soils plants like blue bells and primrose burst into blossom in June. Smaller plants like the saxifrages extend their roots into the many small cracks in the faces and tops of these cliffs.
A full 80 per cent of the land area of the islands found in the eastern half of the archipelago is taken up with dense boreal forests. The most common trees found in these forests are the Balsam Fir, the Black Spruce and White Spruce. Near the streams and ponds are the occasional White Burch and alders. The understory plants include lilies and orchids. Hidden in among these archipelago botanicals is the occasional granite or limestone monolith, carved out by the forces of time and now covered in greenery.
The peat bogs of the north shore of the Seaway are well known, so it is not surprising to find them on these islands. In the low lying lands of the island interiors these bogs can be found and are rich in sphagnum moss surrounding pools of water complete with white mounds of marl, calcium deposits from the weathered limestone cliffs. Also plentiful in these bogs are plants like Wild Blueberry, Cranberry, Labrador Tea, Bog Rosemary and Laurel.
The Barrens are eerily reminiscent of the Artic Tundra or Alpine Summit. These unprotected wind blown areas with thin soils and gravel are inhabited by short statured plants that are able to withstand the fierce winds. Along with the low lying shrubs there is a wide variety of flowering plants, including varieties of orchids, Alpine Chickweed, Mountain Avens, and Bird’s Eye Primrose. This seemingly inhospitable terrain is a favored nesting spot for a wide variety birds, including gulls, turns and the Common Eider.
The final set of archipelago botanicals is found in an area that is unusual on the North Shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the salt marsh. Most of the North Shore is rocky, but there are salt marshes in the Mingan Archipelago, the most notable being found on Ile Niapiskau known as the Anse a Loups Marins. Here we find the Salt-water Cord Grass, Chickenclaws and Seaside Plantian. This area provides a rich feeding ground in the spring for migrating birds.
Because of the tricky currents and wind these islands are difficult to reach. While the park exists to protect these varied habitats, the Canadian government has taken pains to provide scenic and educational hiking trails on the larger islands to allow people to explore the wide variety of archipelago botanicals that can be found in the area. They only ask that you stay on the trails, take only pictures, and leave only your footprints to disturb these remarkable ecosystems.