Ridge Habitat
Ridge Habitat
Louisiana’s coastal ridges are the banks of channels that once delivered Mississippi River water across large parts of the coast. The remains of these banks support trees that need elevation above water to grow and provide an important stopover habitat for migratory birds.
Barrier Islands
Louisiana’s barrier islands are low-lying features of the coast that comprise a variety of habitat types, including sandy beaches, dunes, back barrier salt marsh and maritime forests. Barrier islands are the first line of defense against storm surge and hurricanes and provide vital habitat for many coastal species, such as the endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, the Piping Plover, the Black Skimmer and the Cerulean Warbler.
Saltwater Marsh
Saltwater Marsh are tidal wetlands inundated daily by seawater from the Gulf of Mexico. Vegetation is limited to just a few hardy species, but these wetlands provide habitat to a wide variety of fish and wildlife, such as spotted seatrout, red drum, black drum and clapper rail.
Brackish Marsh
Brackish marsh is found between intermediate and salt marsh where freshwater dilutes seawater. Brackish marsh is a tidal wetland dominated by salt-tolerant grass vegetation and is an important habitat for white shrimp, blue crab, juvenile red drum and Forster’s Tern.
Freshwater Forest
In Louisiana, freshwater forests are tree-dominated tidal wetlands. The most common tree species are bald-cypress and water tupelo trees, but others, including black willow, red maple and green ash are also prevalent. Swamps provide critical habitat to crawfish, alligator gar, river otters, and Prothonotary Warblers.
Intermediate Marsh
Louisiana has diverse coastal wetlands, including intermediate marsh, a tidal marsh that overall has lower salinities, but receives occasional pulses of salt water. As a result, this wetland is characterized by a variety of plant species that are commonly found in both freshwater marsh and saltwater marsh. A variety of fish and wildlife use this habitat for at least some part of their life, including brown shrimp, alligators, striped bass, roseate spoonbills, and mottled ducks.
Freshwater Marsh
Louisiana’s fresh coastal marshes are tidal freshwater wetlands dominated by grasses, sedges and rushes. They contain a very high diversity of plant and animal species, providing critical nursery, foraging, and breeding habitat for white-tailed deer, largemouth bass, mallard ducks, and king rail.