Plants and Animals

The green area around Kanazawa Castle Park and its surrounding districts is called the "Green Heart." A lot of animals, plants and water disperse throughout the city from here through various routes, such as canals and trees on streets, exactly as a human heart pumps the blood around the body. This "Green Heart" is what is keeping the high level of natural preservation in Kanazawa. The Sai River, the Asano River, and their green banks and river terraces are the main corridors between the hills in the suburbs and this "Green Heart."

Kanazawa Castle Park is currently home to 548 plant species, and more than 200 of these were added during the 50 years when Kanazawa University was located on the grounds

The woods in the park have many trees, such as castanopside trees, fir trees and keyaki trees. These are trees which usually remain at the very end of the vegetation "succession." Some giant trees in this park are as old as 300 years old. The main trees are as follows: Castanopsis cuspidata (variety: sieboldii),Machilus thunbergii, Camellia japonica, Abies firma, Zelkova serrata.

In the groves and the forest side, there are a variety of trees and wild flowers-nettle trees, lilies, and others plants. However, these will certainly be replaced by other kinds of vegetation, because of the environmental change that they themselves will cause. The following trees and herbs are also common: Celtis sinensis var. japonica,Zanthoxylum ailanthoides, Sasa palmata, Pleioblastus simonii,Anthriscus sylvestris, Cardiocrinum cordatum.

There are some cultivated plants at this park, such as some cherry blossom trees and others. The grove at Honmaru Park, the central enclosure, was used as the botanical garden attached to the Department of Science, Kanazawa University. Therefore, some unusual trees, such as evergreen magnolia trees and redwoods, were planted here. The conspicuous plants are as follows: Prunus Xyedoensis（Somei-Yoshino cherry）,Ailanthus artissima, Acer pycnunthum, Sequoia sempervirens,Magnolia glandiflora. Because there are so many different kinds of plants in Kanazawa Castle Park, you can enjoy the various trees and flowers throughout the year.

A lot of wild animals live in this park because the natural habitats of the Hokuriku area have been preserved very well here. For example, raccoon dogs and wood mice make nests in the Hon-maru grove. In June, green tree frogs lay eggs covered with white foam in trees over the pond. Xenodermine Snakes, which are an endangered species, live in this park, too. Sixty-one wild species of birds are observed here as of 2001, and even some rare species of birds, such as black paradise flycatchers, can be found too. Over 750 kinds of insects live in this park. Many insects found here, such as the Red Helen butterfly, are the same as those found in southern parts of Japan. This is because the Hokuriku area is actually warmer than most people think, though it is rather snowy in winter. This fact results in a big diversity of species of animals and plants. In fact, many kinds of animals perhaps over 1500 kinds--can be found in this park. We hope to preserve this rich, natural treasure for a long time.