This region includes the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, Long Island in New York, and Cape Cod along with its nearby islands in Massachusetts. The land is not perfectly flat, but it is also not very mountainous. Most of the area sits at an elevation lower than 197ft (60 m). The ground is made of layers of sand, silt, clay, and gravel that were shaped by ancient glaciers and wind. In parts of New Jersey, the geology even includes much older rocks from the Cretaceous period. The landscape is filled with sandy beaches, dunes, bays, and barrier islands.

The weather is influenced by the nearby ocean, which keeps the temperature from becoming too extreme. During the summer, temperatures can climb into the 80s (27ºC) or even the 90s (32ºC). In the winter, it gets very cold, and temperatures often drop below the freezing point of 32ºF (0Cº). Rain and snow fall fairly evenly throughout the year, totaling about 45 inches (1,141 mm) annually. There are usually between 190 and 225 days in a year when the ground is not frozen.

The plants here are very special because this area is the northern limit for many species that usually grow much further south. You will mostly see pine-oak forests with trees like pitch pine, scarlet oak, and black oak. In the inland areas, there used to be more mixed oak forests with trees like American beech and black walnut, but many of these have been cleared. Near the coast, you can find dune woodlands with American holly, cherry, and sassafras. Low bushes like blueberry and beach plum grow in thickets. Because the sandy soil is very acidic and lacks nutrients, many of these pine forests actually depend on periodic fires to clear out old growth and help new seeds sprout.

Water is a big part of this landscape. There are many lakes, especially on Cape Cod, along with bogs, swamps, Atlantic white cedar swamps, and marshes. Some streams flow all year long. These wet areas are home to many animals, such as white-tailed deer, foxes, raccoons, and rabbits. You can also find many interesting birds, including the piping plover, the black skimmer, and the least tern. In the coastal areas, loggerhead turtles can sometimes be found.

While large parts of the region are now used for cities, towns, and roads, some areas are still used for growing cranberries and blueberries. An interesting fact about this region is that the thick layers of sand act like a giant natural filter, helping to create some of the cleanest groundwater in the country.

Gardens at Cedarbridge

Planting Areas

Front bed

Bedroom bed

Forest garden

Wildlife Features

About the Atlantic Coastal Pine Barrens ecoregion

About the Patcong Creek watershed