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But what about North America? Our part of the world hosts several native poppies. And if a plant lives in Canada, it must be comfortable in the cold. One of the Canadian native poppy plants is found in the south-eastern forests, the Celandine Poppy, Stylophorum diphyllumis. There\u2019s also the boreal Icelandic Poppy, Papaver nudicaule. Unlike what its name implies, its native range is the sub-polar regions of Arctic North America (mostly Alaska and the Yukon) and northern Asia (but not Iceland and anywhere else, where it was introduced). If you go even further north, you\u2019ll find the yellow or white Arctic Poppy, Oreomecon Polaris. This poppy grows primarily in the subalpine or subarctic areas of Europe, Asia and North America.<\/p>\n
Adapting to Adversity<\/h3>\n
Like many native arctic plants, the Arctic Poppy is a survivor. It\u2019s a perennial, meaning it survives from year to year. It grows on nearly barren areas of the Arctic tundra in both rocky and clay soils. It can also be found at elevations of about a kilometre high. It withstands the extreme cold of northern Nunavut. It can survive the cold winds, the short growing season and drought of these latitudes. The tundra is really a cold desert with low precipitation. But how does a plant deal with all this adversity? It doesn\u2019t grow much and stays low, close to the sun-heated rocks, where temperatures are a bit warmer and there\u2019s more protection against the wind. Indeed, the Arctic Poppy grows only to 10 cm tall, with short, four cm leaves which reduce water loss. Its deep roots enable it to gather water and nutrients where others can\u2019t. It has black hair to help insulation, trapping some warmer air around the plant. Like satellite dishes, its flowers follow the sun as it moves in the sky. The flowers are also of parabolic shape, which helps concentrate the heat at its centre. In fact, while the outside temperatures are frigid, its internal temperature might be up to 10 degrees Celsius, which speeds up the seed formation. Like other poppies, it has toxic properties which reduce the risks of being eaten by some mammals. And this small plant helps its habitat by stabilizing the soil, cycling nutrients and providing food for animals not affected by its toxins. Arctic pollinators, like bumblebees, consume its pollen, and maintain Arctic Poppy populations by aiding reproduction. In fact, Inuit refer to Arctic Poppy as igutsat niqingit. Igutsat translates as “bumblebees”, a reference to the observation that the yellow flowers are much appreciated by bumblebees. Igutsat niqingit means “bumblebee food”.<\/p>\n
Perennial Hope<\/h3>\n
While Eurasian poppies often symbolize war and death, the Arctic Poppy\u2019s tale is one of resilience and survival through hardship. Its place in the Nunavut Coat of Arms is well earned. But will this resilience be enough for long-term survival? The Arctic Poppy is now considered by biologists as a \u201ccanary in a coal mine\u201d, an indicator of habitat health. As the Arctic warms up, woody shrubs are taking over the landscape, causing a decline in botanical diversity, notably of Arctic specialist species. Researchers and conservationists are hard at work with conserving Arctic habitats, studying the species and increasing education and awareness about the Arctic\u2019s fragile ecosystems in order to mitigate the threats of climate change. Will the Arctic Poppy survive this hurdle? Only time will tell.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"