Plant Life in the State of Massachusetts
Famed for its maple tree and cranberries, the climate, varying topography and soils in Massachusetts, all contribute to the wide variety of native and cultivated plant life in the state. Rocky shores, salt marshes, fertile valleys, rolling hills and more than 1,000 lakes, are home to an abundance of plants. Does this Spark an idea?
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Topography
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Massachusetts consists of four topographical regions: the coastal lowlands, the interior lowlands, the residual landscape of ancient mountain systems and the dissected islands, including Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Island. It also has more than 4,000 miles of rivers. Although not known for its mineral production, the mining of non-metallic minerals represents a considerable industry within the state, with clay, marble, granite, sandstone, slate and other profitable minerals being harvested.
Climate
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Winters in the state are usually bitterly cold and summers are moderately warm, but the climate can vary dramatically between the coastal east and inland west. The lowest temperature recorded is minus 18 degrees in February 1934 and the highest is 104 degrees in July 1911. Average wind velocities are between 10 and 13 miles per hour and the prevailing wind is from the west. Frosts can start as early as September and continue, strongly enough to kill plants through May. Average seasonal snowfall is 42 inches.
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Soils
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Soils in the state are as varied as the topography and the uplands soils are the best areas for commercial farming, due to their rich mineral content. In other areas, which were, originally, heavily wooded, soils did not readily yield to cultivation, and it is only with modern farming procedures and technology, that producing profitable yields from these soils has become possible.
Native Plants
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According to the New England Wild Flower Society, 20 percent of the state's 3,000 species are in danger of extinction. These include the Plymouth gentian, the black maple, seabeach needle grass, ginseng and sand violets. New England is famous for its fall foliage, and common natives include the red maple and sugar maple. Berries including the blueberry, bayberry, bearberry and inkberry are also common, and flowering species include lily-of-the- valley, cowslips, wild geraniums and wild strawberries.
Cranberries
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The cranberry, blueberry and Concord grape are North America's three native fruits, and are now grown widely by commercial growers. First used by the Native Americans cranberries are renowned for their food, dye and healing properties. Cultivation in Massachusetts began in the early 1800s, when a landowner in Dennis, MA, noticed that wild cranberries in his bogs grew better when sand blew over them. He adapted this to start cultivating cranberries, and word of his discovery spread quickly, and others copied. Today, the Massachusetts cranberry industry supplies cranberries throughout the world.
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- Photo Credit Red Maple tree image by Mr. D from Fotolia.com
