Plants and Animals
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Plants
The canopy of the Basic Oak - Hickory Forest is dense and diverse, containing a variety of oaks and hickories as well as other species. It’s one of the few communities in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park where you’ll see really large white oaks—particularly at Bolivar Heights. In some places, oaks may be outnumbered by hickories, including shagbark hickory, red hickory, bitternut hickory, mockernut hickory, and pignut hickory. The presence of white ash and slippery elm is a clue that the soil is rich in base minerals such as calcium. The nutrient-rich soil supports abundant spring wildflowers and other plants on the forest floor, although some sites are richer than others.
Canopy Trees
The trees whose crowns intercept most of the sunlight in a forest stand. The uppermost layer of a forest.
- black oak
- mockernut hickory
- pignut hickory
- tuliptree
- white ash
- white oak
- bitternut hickory (occasional)
- chestnut oak (occasional)
- northern red oak (occasional)
- red hickory (occasional)
- shagbark hickory (occasional)
Understory Trees
Small trees and young specimens of large trees growing beneath the canopy trees. Also called the subcanopy.
- eastern redbud
- sugar maple
- white ash
- American beech (occasional)
- black walnut (occasional)
- common serviceberry (occasional)
- flowering dogwood (occasional)
- hackberry (occasional)
- hop-hornbeam (occasional)
- sassafras (occasional)
- slippery elm (occasional)
- winged elm (occasional)
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.
- black raspberry
- Pennsylvania blackberry
- poison ivy
- summer grape
- Virginia creeper
- deerberry (occasional)
- mapleleaf viburnum (occasional)
Low Plants (Field Layer)
Plants growing low to the ground. This includes small shrubs and tree seedlings.
- broadleaf enchanter’s-nightshade
- naked-flower tick-trefoil
- smooth rockcress
- Virginia stickseed
- white wood-aster
- yellow fumewort
- Solomon’s plume (occasional)
- hairy sweet-cicely (occasional)
Non-Native Invasive Plant Species
Because the soil is fertile, this natural community has been invaded by many non-native plants, including garlic mustard*, wine raspberry*, and tree-of-heaven*. See Ecological Threats for more.
Notable Variations
Examples of this community on Maryland Heights seem to be “richer,” with a greater diversity of wildflowers and other plants on the forest floor, and more abundant hickory. These have a variety of invasive species as well.
Many stands of Basic Oak - Hickory Forest at Harpers Ferry have been disturbed in the past and are weedy and/or may have more tuliptree compared to older or less disturbed stands.
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.