Maritime Forest

Importance: Maritime Forests provide essential habitat and haven for migratory birds and other animals. Their strong network of expanding roots hold shorelines of coastal areas and barrier islands together. 

Hero: Zanthoxylum clava-herculis, the Hercules' club

Host: Larval host for the Giant Swallowtail Butterfly, food for birds, medicinal

Common trees include pines, oaks, and wax myrtle, along with shrubs like yaupon holly. These forests play an important ecological role by stabilizing coastal dunes, providing habitat for wildlife, and acting as a buffer between the land and the ocean, protecting inland areas from storms and erosion.

Maritime forests are particularly notable for their unique biodiversity and their ability to thrive in the challenging coastal environment.