Plants and Animals
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Plants
In certain seasons (usually winter and spring), this natural community is underwater. In summer and fall, lush low mats of vegetation grow as the water recedes. The plants are mostly annuals or short-lived, fast-growing perennials. Because of the frequent and long-lasting inundation, as well as scouring by river-borne debris and chunks of ice, trees and bushes don’t grow in this community, with the exception of young seedlings. Some of the plants in the field layer are smaller than usual because of the challenging conditions.
Canopy Trees
The trees whose crowns intercept most of the sunlight in a forest stand. The uppermost layer of a forest.
Understory Trees
Small trees and young specimens of large trees growing beneath the canopy trees. Also called the subcanopy.
Shrubs, Saplings, and Vines
Shrubs, juvenile trees and vines at the right height to give birds and others a perch up off the ground but below the trees.
- American sycamore (occasional)
- black willow (occasional)
- green ash (occasional)
- river birch (occasional)
- silver maple (occasional)
- white morning-glory (occasional)
Low Plants (Field Layer)
Plants growing low to the ground. This includes small shrubs and tree seedlings.
- bearded flatsedge
- lowland toothcup
- marsh seedbox
- straw-colored flatsedge
- swamp vervain
- American water-horehound (occasional)
- American water-willow (occasional)
- Canadian goldenrod (occasional)
- common sneezeweed (occasional)
- common three-seed mercury (occasional)
- creeping yellowcress (occasional)
- ditch stonecrop (occasional)
- false daisy (occasional)
- Fernald’s yellowcress (occasional)
- fragrant flatsedge (occasional)
- halberd-leaf rosemallow (occasional)
- late-flowering thoroughwort (occasional)
- lanceleaf fogfruit (occasional)
- nodding beggarticks (occasional)
- sandbar lovegrass (occasional)
- scaldweed (occasional)
- sharp-wing monkeyflower (occasional)
- small-spike false nettle (occasional)
- spreading sandmat (occasional)
- swamp milkweed (occasional)
- teal lovegrass (occasional)
- white vervain (occasional)
- whitegrass (occasional)
- yellowseed false pimpernel (occasional)
Non-Native Invasive Plant Species
A number of non-native plants make their home in this natural community, including oriental lady’s-thumb* and Mexican-tea*. See Ecological Threats for more.
Animals
Even though natural communities aren’t named after animals, animals do play a crucial role in maintaining natural communities. Plants and animals need each other. To name just a few examples, plants provide food and habitat for animals, and animals help plants reproduce by spreading pollen and seeds. To learn more, see The Role of Animals in Natural Communities in Ecology Basics.
Check out iNaturalist to see photos of animals (and plants!) that people have seen in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.