As its name implies, the Silver Maple Floodplain Forest gets flooded occasionally—typically every six months to two-and-a-half years 1. Floods wash away leaf litter, but bring in sediments from upstream, including new minerals and organic matter (such as mollusk shells) containing nutrients such as calcium that encourage plant growth. The underlying bedrock does not have as strong an influence on these floodplain soils because of the regular influx of new materials carried in by floods.

Although floods bring in nutrients, they can also damage or even uproot plants. Ecobit: Floods: Rich but Hard to Live With

[include photos that illustrate the physical setting]

• 1. Lea C.  2000.  Plant communities of the Potomac Gorge and their relationship to fluvial factors. Biology. :219pp..