More than 24,500 species of animals and 10,000 types of plants live in the Netherlands, according to the Environmental Data Compendium. The best places to see the flora and fauna of the small country are a few of the Netherland’s 20 national parks, scattered over 12 provinces.
Beavers thrive in Biesbosch National Park in the provinces of Norod-Brabant and Zuid-Holland. As one of the last few remaining freshwater tidal areas, the park boasts a population of 150 beavers that live in the marshy forests and grasslands along the Maas and Rhine rivers. The sand dunes of De Loonse en Drunense Duinen National Park play home to badgers. The marshy woods and grasslands make excellent hunting grounds for the badgers. The animals dig holes and tunnels in the park’s sand dunes to raise their young.
Hoge Veluwe National Park gives you a place to spot red deer and wild boars. Many visitors explore the park’s woods, shifting sands and heath-covered valleys, where the deer and boars graze. To spot wildlife, take a quiet ride through the park on one of the 2,000 bicycles available at no charge. Foxes live in the Netherlands with Zuid-Kennemerland National Park, an ideal location for spotting the wily creatures. The park, located in the province of Noord-Holland, features a beach area and dune woodlands where the animals play, hunt and raise their kits.
Birds such as widgeons and barnacle geese flock to Lauwersmeer National Park, located in the provinces of Friesland and Groningen. The bluethroat, with its brightly colored blue throat patch, makes its home in the ponds and marshes of Alde Feanen National Park in the province of Friesland. Black grouse with their flaming red heads catch the eyes of visitors lucky enough to spot one in Sallandse Heuvelrug National Park. The park’s ridge of hills and mixed forest provide habitat for the last remaining wild black grouse found in the country. The black woodpecker makes its home in this country. The thick forest that covers Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park attracts woodpeckers in search of food and nesting holes.
The wet bogs and flowering meadows of Drentsche Aa National Landscape create ideal conditions for marsh trefoil, a plant covered with pinkish-white blossoms that blooms in the spring. The park lies in the province of Drenthe. As you walk the trails in the park, look for orchids that rely on the wet environment for their survival. The deep blue berries of the juniper berry grow near boggy areas of the country. The plants thrive near the 60 bog pools that grow in Dwingelderveld National Park southwest of Drenthe. The most common tree growing in the Netherlands is the Scots pine. The identifying characteristics of the tree include an orange-brown bark and short bluish needles.