The forest near the Sudbury area is a mix of trees typical of the boreal forest region and the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence forest region. Where deciduous trees predominate, soil on the forest floor is rich with leaf litter and organic material. Abundant sunlight in the spring supports many spring wildflowers. Once the trees leaf-out, the forest floor receives much less sunlight and most wildflowers wither away until the next spring. In some areas, there the soil is rich in clay.
Rain water is absorbed and held by the organic-rich forest litter.
During the spring, sunlight reaching the forest floor quickly warms the soil. Summer temperatures are moderated by the leaf cover and the relatively high soil moisture. A typical forest floor in the early spring, before the leaves appear on the trees. This is a sugar maple deciduous forest floor covered with Trout Lily . Two broad brownish mottled basal leaves.