Widely scattered small patches
On fairly high bedrock shorelines of the Potomac River that flood, especially in winter; usually in areas where the river gradient is steep
Patchy, fertile sandy loams
Boulders, cobbles, and sand deposited by the river on top of exposed metamorphic bedrock
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This natural community is found on bedrock shorelines alongside the Potomac River. The ground surface varies quite a bit. Walking through this natural community, you might come across exposed bedrock, deposits of sand or cobbles, mucky pools of water, and areas covered by soil.
This natural community is typically underwater 10-25 days a year usually during the winter. Floods bring new sediments, which means new nutrients and new minerals. This creates fertile conditions for plants, regardless of the underlying bedrock. That’s why the bedrock geology is not as influential for natural communities in floodplains as it is for forest communities that are never flooded.
