Plants and Animals
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Plants
This is a community made up of naturally hardy plants that can grow on a pile of acidic boulders. Not surprisingly, there aren’t too many plant species in this natural community, nor are there very many individuals. Look for sweet birch, American witch-hazel, and Virginia creeper. (Even though chestnut oak is in the name of this natural community, it may not always be present.) Moss grows here and there atop wide, flat boulders. Moss accumulates bits of soil and moisture, helping other plants gain a foothold. Sweet birch seeds also sometimes sprout in moss. This incredible tree can wrap its roots right around rocks and reach far down to the ground below. The stress of it all shows itself in the stunted, contorted form sweet birch takes in this rocky environment.
Canopy Trees
The trees whose crowns intercept most of the sunlight in a forest stand. The uppermost layer of a forest.
- sweet birch
- American basswood (occasional)
- chestnut oak (occasional)
- sugar maple (occasional)
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 witch-hazel
- eastern poison-ivy
- grape
- Virginia creeper
- red elderberry (occasional)
Low Plants (Field Layer)
Plants growing low to the ground. This includes small shrubs and tree seedlings.
- lichen, various species
- lowland bladderfern (occasional)
- marginal woodfern (occasional)
- moss, various species (occasional)
- pale jewelweed (occasional)
- smooth rock skullcap (occasional)
Non-Native Invasive Plant Species
The physical setting and soil in this natural community are not inviting to non-native species.
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.