Succession: Time For A Change

In front of you is an area that humans have affected by mowing. Mowing has stopped and now nature is beginning to change the landscape. The first plants to spring up are those requiring ample sunlight. Other plants will grow up in the shade created by these first plants. Eventually, these shade-tolerant plants will replace those needing more sun and begin creating a maritime forest. This shift from one plant community to the next is called succession.

Pass the Salt!

Coastal plants have adapted to severe conditions. The salt in the wind, soil, and rain will kill less-tolerant plants. Notice how stiff the bayberry leaves are. A natural coating on the leaves protects the bayberry from salt. As you get further from the coast, fewer salt-tolerant plants are found.

Clearings: Nature’s Skylights

You have traveled from an area of young shrubs into an established maritime forest. This part of the pinelands is in a later stage of succession and so has older trees and shade-tolerant plants. Ahead is a clearing. Clearings are created when a tree falls, leaving an opening in the canopy overhead. This opening allows sunlight to penetrate to the forest floor. The result is a return to the earliest stages of succession. Can you see examples here of plants found at Stop 1?

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