Carolina Environmental Diversity Explorations
The northern Outer Banks · By Dirk Frankenberg and Blair Tormey
Plant and animal species in Nags Head Woods
Figure 2. These trees are some of the hundreds of plant species found in Nags Head Woods. (Photograph by Blair Tormey. More about the photograph)
A short walk along the trails of the Nature Conservancy gives a spectacular glimpse of the great diversity of this barrier island maritime forest. Nags Head Woods is home to more than 300 species of plants, including eleven species of oak, ten ferns, three pines, two magnolias, two cedars, two willows, five milkweeds, four goldenrods, and three cattails. More than 100 species of birds, 65 species of land vertebrates (amphibians, reptiles, and mammals), and six species of freshwater fish inhabit the various ecosystems within Nags Head Woods. The diversity of this community owes its existence to the protection from salt spray provided by the dune ridges of the Jockey’s Ridge complex that surround the forest.
Figure 2 shows this diversity of species. Also notice the ancient dune and swale topography, as well as the dense cover of leaf litter on the forest floor which provides the materials for the well developed soil horizon at this site.
Humans have also benefited from the shelter provided in Nags Head Woods. The surrounding topography and forest canopy gave the early settlers of Nags Head a safe refuge from the ravages of hurricanes and northeasters. Even now, the dwellings within Nags Head Woods continue to fare much better than the seaside communities in times of stormy weather.
