Northeastern coastal forests
The
Northeastern coastal forests are a
temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion of the northeastern
United States. The ecoregion covers an area of 89,691 km² encompassing the
Piedmont and
coastal plain of seven states, extending from northern
Maryland and
Delaware through southeast
Pennsylvania,
New Jersey, southern
New York State,
Connecticut, eastern
Massachusetts and southeastern
New Hampshire to southwestern
Maine.
The ecoregion is bounded on the east by the
Atlantic Ocean. To the north, it transitions to the
New England-Acadian forests, which cover most of northern and inland
New England. To the east, the ecoregions transitions to
Allegheny Highlands forests and the
Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests of the
Appalachian Mountains. To the south lie the
Southeastern mixed forests and the
Middle Atlantic coastal forests. The ecoregion surrounds the distinct
Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecoregion, which covers portions of southern
New Jersey and
Long Island.
What makes deciduous forest biomes so special is that they have
four seasons. Although technically all places have four
seasons, deciduous forests undergo evident changes from season to season. Deciduous forests have a cold
winter, a warm
spring, a warm-to-hot
summer, and a cool
autumn.
In
New England, especially in
Vermont, tourists from places such as New York City come to see the beautiful foliage in the fall. Brilliant shades of red, orange, yellow, and scarlet blanket the trees and provide an amazing view.
Maple,
Oak,
Ash, and
Elm are some of the types of trees that show off bright colors in autumn.
Some of the animals that live in the Northeastern coastal deciduous forests are
white-tailed deer,
grey squirrel,
chipmunk,
Red Fox,
fat dormouse,
sparrow,
chickadee,
Garter snake,
snail,
coyote, and
raccoon. Chickadees, white-tailed deer, and grey squirrels can be seen quite often. Wolves used to be quite common, but are now very rarely seen, causing endemic growth in deer populations near suburban areas.
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Northeastern coastal forests (World Wildlife Fund)
