Discover Long Island Parks, Beaches, Pine Barrens, Open Spaces
Natural History & Habitats
One of the reasons that Long Island is so naturally rich is that it’s at the crossroads between southern and northern plant and wildlife ranges. Habitats include beaches, dunes, tidal flats, mud flats, salt marshes, freshwater wetlands, coastal forests (pine barrens), upland forests, grasslands, meadows, grassy opening, old fields, marine environments, etc. Descriptions for each of these terms vary, so it’s best to understand definition based on what you reference (scientific literature, or agency definition).
To begin the process of understanding and differentiating habitats, make observation regarding whether the habitat is wet or dry, freshwater, saltwater or brackish. For dry habitats, look and see what dominates (tree, shrubs or grasses), and see how they vary in space and time. Notice the boundaries between habitats: are they fixed or varied? Also refer to Long Island Habitats and Ecosystems, prepared by Chris Duffner
Use the Directory above to explore parks by such keywords as: beach, pine barrens, saltmarsh, and other habitats.
To begin the process of understanding and differentiating habitats, make observation regarding whether the habitat is wet or dry, freshwater, saltwater or brackish. For dry habitats, look and see what dominates (tree, shrubs or grasses), and see how they vary in space and time. Notice the boundaries between habitats: are they fixed or varied? Also refer to Long Island Habitats and Ecosystems, prepared by Chris Duffner
Use the Directory above to explore parks by such keywords as: beach, pine barrens, saltmarsh, and other habitats.
Visiting a Park? Don't Forget Your Nature Journal
Naturalists often keep a nature journal (whether hand written or electronic) to provide:
- summaries of events attended by description, location, hours, and organizer
- key observations for long-term monitoring of environmental changes
- references materials found ( journals, local experts, direct observations, field guides, etc.)
- insights learned that were shocking, cool, thought-provoking, extra special, etc.
- reviews of attended events: what was liked and disliked about the event
- storage of detailed sketches or photographs of plant, animal, or natural features of interest
Learn How to Use A Field Guide
Use field guides to better understand natural areas, their associated plant communities, and for individual species identification. Using an app may give you instant gratification, but you can learn more through your own detailed observations when using a field guide in hand. Review field guide types and usefulness by going to a local library and paging through some.
What is a dichotomous key? It’s that part of the field guide that helps you identify the natural world. Think of it as a flow chart that you step through page by page. Dichotomous means divided into parts and this is important to identifying distinguishable characteristics. It’s actually better to work on field identification in the field, as you may not see the distinguishing features on a hastily taken photograph. If you do take a photo, put a penny or a ruler next to the image which will help in measurement at a later time.
What is a dichotomous key? It’s that part of the field guide that helps you identify the natural world. Think of it as a flow chart that you step through page by page. Dichotomous means divided into parts and this is important to identifying distinguishable characteristics. It’s actually better to work on field identification in the field, as you may not see the distinguishing features on a hastily taken photograph. If you do take a photo, put a penny or a ruler next to the image which will help in measurement at a later time.
