• An Assateague wild horse finding shelter in the dunes.

    Assateague Island

    National Seashore MD,VA

There are park alerts in effect.
show Alerts »

  • Message from the Superintendent

    The planning team is currently in the final stages of drafting the General Managment Plan and beginning the internal review process which includes reviews and revisions. More »

  • Hurricane Sandy Photos on flickr

    View images from the Maryland and Virginia districts of Assateague Island National Seashore on our flickr site. More »

Trees and Shrubs

One of the most distinctive shrubs of Assateague is beach heather, a dense, low shrub common to dunes and sandy areas along the eastern seaboard.20 kb

Loblolly pine and beach heather woodland

NPS photo

On barrier islands such as Assateague that are subjected to strong, salt-laden winds, tree and shrub growth is restricted both in size and location. Sheltered areas behind dunes allow tree and shrub communities to grow, but where the island is narrow or lacks protective dunes few or no species may exist.

Shrub communities on Assateague establish themselves on or behind dunes, in protected depressions, and along the edges of marshes, with characteristic species growing in each location depending on the levels of salinity and moisture present. One of the most distinctive shrubs of Assateague is beach heath (Hudsonia tomentosa), a dense, low shrub common to dunes and sandy areas along the eastern seaboard. It sometimes acts as a pioneer plant, providing cover that allows other species to become established. Beach heath blooms in May and June, producing numerous small, yellow flowers.

 
Wax-myrtle berries provide fuel for tree swallows on their southward migrations. 25 kb

Wax Myrtle

NPS Photo

Taller shrub communities behind dunes are limited in height by salt winds blowing above the plants, which exert a natural pruning force. Wax-myrtle (Myrica cerifera), an evergreen whose berries are eaten by tree swallows and myrtle warblers, is the most common shrub in these protected areas. Marsh elder (Iva frutescens), which is capable of tolerating brackish or saltwater areas, dominates the shrub thickets surrounding salt marshes on the bay side of the island and marks the transition between upland and marsh.
 

In central portions of the island where shelter from overwash and salt winds allow, tree communities occur. The majority of large trees in these forests are evergreen, with loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) being the dominant. Interspersed among the pines are deciduous species such as red maple (Acer rubrum), sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), persimmon (Diospyros virginiana), sassafras (Sassafras albidum), and several species of oak (Quercus sp.). Other evergreen species present in the forests include American holly (Ilex opaca) and red cedar (Juniperus virginiana).

Did You Know?

When you see beach foam think of egg whites! 4 kb

When you see beach foam think of egg whites! Beach foam is created when the tumultuous action of the surf forces air into the ocean water. It is similar to whipping egg whites into froth but instead of egg whites the ocean contains organic compounds that reduce the surface tension of the bubbles.