The topography of Johnville and the Johnville Bog & Forest Park is a result of the last ice age; tangible signs of it are still visible today. An esker crosses the Park west of the peat-bog and passes through the village of Johnville. Composed of sand, gravel and rocks, it forms long and winding steep ridges, which contributed to the formation of the peat-bog by limiting land drainage in the north and east.

The Johnville Bog & Forest Park contains ecosystems rare to our region: the peat-bog and the ombrotrophic ponds. These unique features contrast strongly with the agro-forestry landscape surrounding them, making the Park an islet for numerous species of plants and animals not present in neighbouring areas. Many of these species are found predominantly in the north in large ecological regions of coniferous forests, where few people ever venture. The site's unique character can be highlighted with a simple fact: Peat-bogs are found in less than one percent of the area covered by the Appalachians. Moreover, the majority of peat-bogs are completely sealed with an accumulation of partially decomposed organic matter (peat); few among them still contain bodies of water, such as the Johnville bog.

The vegetation from the Johnville peat-bog is particularly representative of bogs of the upper reservoir of the St. Francis River, which also display highly diversified fauna. More than 34 types of mosses and 400 species of vascular plants have been found in the Park to date, 350 of them indigenous. Some zones have a higher floristic and ecological value - as is the case with an open peat-bog.

The woodland area includes a variety of stands following the rhythm of topographic variations, a succession of hillocks (eskers) and depressions. Spruce forests with sphagnum moss typical of peat-bogs, humid cedar stands, hemlock forests and red maple groves are all found here. Several plantations dating back more than 50 years cover old agricultural land.

The Johnville Bog & Forest Park is also home to numerous wildlife species. An abundance of dragonflies, damselflies and butterflies (see list) can be found. Ten species of amphibians and two reptiles have been inventoried. It is also a very good site for bird watching, presenting palm warblers, Lincoln's sparrows, northern harriers and several varieties of waterfowl. Park users regularly come across a large number of mammals including moose, white-tailed deer, American black bears, red foxes, American beavers, American porcupines, small rodents and many other species.


Currently, the plant and wildlife inventories include three species of vascular plants and four vertebrates on a list of species that may become threatened or vulnerable: white-fringed orchid, Wolffia columbiana, a shield-fern, the southern bog-lemming, the rock vole, the hoary bat and the silver-haired bat. There are also indications that the pygmy shrew can be found in the Park.