Vallée-du-Ruiter Ecological Reserve
IUCN Category Ia - Strict Nature Reserve
BWf1
The Réserve écologique de la Vallée -du- Ruiter is an ecological reserve in the extreme south of the Canadian province of Quebec.
It was established in 1993 on an area of 117 ha. It is in the MRC Memphrémagog, 12 km west of Lac Memphrémagog, 4 km north-west of Potton. It lies between two waters, the Rivière Missisquoi and the Ruisseau Ruiter, in the Sutton Mountains.
The area protects sugar - maple forest in conjunction with lime and yellow birches in the ecoregion Sherbrooke. The Suttonberge run from southwest to northeast, while the terrain rises from the Ruiter Valley at 300 meters above sea level to 550 m at. Slatey rock structures, mica, here called Mica, characterize the subsurface. During the last ice age here encamped from Tillit whose strength grosso modo the steepness of the slopes is determined. It is dominated by podzolic and brown soils.
In addition to the key species of the ecoregion often find the American beech, groups of silver birch and butternut, Live hop hornbeam ( Ostrya virginiana), white ash, lime and red ash ( Fraxinus pennsylvanica ). As endangered or threatened are: Allium tricoccum, the fern Athyrium pycnocarpon from the family of Athyriaceae, Carex Carex appalachica prasina and from the genus of sedges ( Carex ), Panicum clandestinum from the kind of Rispenhirsen, and Viola rotundifolia from the kind of violets.
21 species of birds in the reserve, including the Barred Owl ( Strix varia, French: chouette rayée ), the Pileated Woodpecker, the largest woodpecker in America, the Cedar Waxwing ( Bombycilla cedrorum, French: jaseur the Cedars or d' Amérique ), the blue back - Warbler who is called in Quebec Paruline bleue à gorge noire, the Pic here macule called Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and the Rotaugenvireo ( Vireo olivaceus ).
The number of captured mammals is rather low. These include the white-tailed deer and Tamias striatus from the kind of chipmunks. Also, moose, black bears and raccoons were observed.
About 20 insect species have been recorded, including the butterfly Actias luna, which is threatened in Quebec. Also amphibians and reptiles were observed, such as the Common garter snake, the wood frog, the toad Anaxyrus americanus or Gyrinophilus porphyriticus, the Salamander is called pourpre here.
In 2007, the Fondation de la faune du Québec established in collaboration with the University of Montreal, that the puma ( cougar or puma concolor), who was considered extinct since 1938, was staying back in Quebec City. This could at least eight copies in the areas Saguenay -Lac -Saint- Jean, in the Réserve faunique des Laurentides, Abitibi - Témiscamingue, in East Hereford ( Estrie ) in forillon National Park and the Parc national de la Gaspésie, and in here discussed conservation area are assigned in Ruitertal. It was not clear yet whether these were descendants of the indigenous population in the East, or whether they were migrants from the west or south.