Forest Floor Plants

Deciduous forest is the dominant plant community. It’s complex and layered, but it’s not an old-growth forest. The canopy is composed of tall deciduous trees—oak, hickory, tuliptree, maple, beech, and others. White pine and other conifers are scattered throughout the forest. The middle layer is made up of small trees, shrubs, and vines. On the forest floor, wildflowers, ferns, sedges, moss, other plants, and lichen thrive. In and on the soil and living and dead trees, fungi contribute to forest health. The walk through Trailside takes you through upland and ravine forest. Much of the rugged parklands is blanketed with forest shaped by human interaction along with large deer populations, non-native diseases and pests, and changing climate.