Organisms That Live in a Deciduous Forest

Animals

• A variety of animals live in deciduous forests. Squirrels eat nuts such as acorns and store them for the winter. Rabbits eat vegetation and burrow under fallen trees. Bears hibernate in caves for the winter and during the warm months they eat berries off of bushes found in the woods. Foxes and snakes prey on rabbits, rodents and birds.

Birds

• Many types of birds make a home in deciduous forests. American robins are on the lookout for worms in the soil. Woodpeckers can be heard tapping trees for their favorite foods. Owls may be sleeping during the day but they are out at night to find organisms such as rodents to eat. Nightingales sing beautiful songs, mostly in the evening.

Insects

• The deciduous forest teams with insect life. Bees pollinate flowering plants and bushes, such as mountain laurel. Termites break down the wood that has fallen in the ground, which allows the wood to enrich the soil. Earth worms are underneath the soil, breaking it down and fertilizing it with their own excrement. Beetle larvae in rotting trees help break down the wood and provide an excellent food source for woodpeckers.

Plant life

• Plant life fills the forest with organisms. Lichen and moss are the starting points of plant life which create new places to grow plants. Small plants including herbs and flowering plants such as columbine fill the forest with flowers. Blackberry brambles and raspberry plants give food for various animals and birds. Larger flowering bush such as mountain laurel and rhododendron bushes provide nectar for bees and butterflies.