Insects, spiders, slugs, frogs, turtles and salamanders are common. There is great diversity of life in this biome.
Sometimes the taiga and the temperate deciduous forest overlap. Conifers like spruce, fir and pine trees can also be found mixed in with the hardwood trees in this biome. Shrubs fill in the middle level and hardwood trees like maple, oak, birch, magnolia, sweet gum and beech make up the third level.
Lichen, moss, ferns, wildflowers and other small plants can be found on the forest floor. Temperate deciduous forests have a great variety of plant species.