﻿Nichols: 
  The 
  vegetation 
  of 
  Connecticut 
  519 
  

  

  and 
  sometimes 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  three 
  hundrtd 
  feet. 
  Similar 
  dune 
  

  

  ■ 
  

  

  complexes 
  have 
  been 
  developed 
  along 
  various 
  exposed 
  shores 
  on 
  

   the 
  Atlantic 
  coast, 
  as 
  at 
  Ipswich 
  (see 
  Townsend, 
  '13) 
  and 
  Cape 
  

   Henry 
  (see 
  Kearney, 
  '01), 
  but 
  nothing 
  comparable 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  met 
  

   with 
  along 
  the 
  relatively 
  sheltered 
  Connecticut 
  coast. 
  Here 
  the 
  

   dune 
  beach 
  ordinarily 
  is 
  little 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  broad, 
  rounded, 
  more 
  

   or 
  less 
  continuous 
  ridge 
  of 
  sand, 
  from 
  fifty 
  to 
  250 
  feet 
  wide, 
  lying 
  

   between 
  the 
  middle 
  beach 
  and 
  the 
  contiguous 
  ordinary 
  uplands, 
  

   or, 
  when 
  developed 
  on 
  barrier 
  beaches 
  or 
  spits 
  (Fig. 
  2), 
  separated 
  

   from 
  the 
  mainland 
  proper 
  by 
  lagoons 
  or 
  salt 
  marshes. 
  These 
  low, 
  

   ridge-like 
  dunes 
  seldom 
  rise 
  more 
  than 
  six 
  feet 
  above 
  high 
  tide 
  

   level.* 
  Their 
  outer 
  face 
  usually 
  is 
  steep 
  and 
  irregular, 
  due 
  to 
  

   the 
  constant 
  tendency 
  which 
  they 
  exhibit 
  to 
  advance 
  seaward, 
  

   into 
  the 
  area 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  middle 
  beach, 
  where 
  they 
  become 
  

   exposed, 
  at 
  periodically 
  recurring 
  intervals, 
  to 
  the 
  battering 
  of 
  

   storm 
  waves. 
  The 
  steep 
  lee 
  slopes 
  characteristic 
  of 
  so 
  many 
  

   dunes 
  are 
  scarcely 
  apparent 
  in 
  these 
  low 
  Connecticut 
  dunes. 
  

   Only 
  occasionally 
  is 
  there 
  developed 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  single 
  dune, 
  or 
  

   line 
  of 
  dunes, 
  and 
  then 
  the 
  inner, 
  shoreward 
  dunes 
  are 
  scarcely 
  

   worthy 
  of 
  the 
  name. 
  

  

  But 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  their 
  geographic 
  insignificance 
  the 
  dune 
  beaches 
  

   of 
  the 
  Connecticut 
  coast 
  are 
  not 
  without 
  interest, 
  and 
  their 
  

   vegetation 
  has 
  many 
  points 
  in 
  common 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  more 
  pre- 
  

   tentious 
  dune 
  areas 
  in 
  other 
  regions. 
  As 
  elsewhere 
  along 
  the 
  

   northern 
  iVtlantic 
  coast, 
  the 
  distinctive 
  plant 
  of 
  the 
  dune 
  beach 
  is 
  

   the 
  sand 
  reed, 
  which 
  commonly 
  predominates 
  the 
  landscape 
  in 
  

   all 
  directions. 
  But, 
  although 
  invariably 
  foremost 
  in 
  abundance, 
  

   and 
  the 
  species 
  which 
  primarily 
  determines 
  the 
  aspect 
  of 
  the 
  

   vegetation, 
  this 
  coarse 
  grass 
  never 
  grows 
  in 
  sufficient 
  density 
  to 
  

   crowd 
  out 
  other 
  plants. 
  Viewed 
  at 
  close 
  range, 
  its 
  erect 
  clumps 
  

   of 
  foliage 
  are 
  seen 
  to 
  be 
  separated 
  from 
  one 
  another 
  by 
  patches 
  of 
  

   bare 
  sand, 
  thus 
  affording 
  ample 
  space 
  for 
  various 
  other 
  herbaceous 
  

   species 
  to 
  develop, 
  and 
  these 
  are 
  present 
  in 
  locally 
  var>'ing 
  abun- 
  

   dance. 
  Especially 
  prominent 
  in 
  their 
  effect 
  on 
  the 
  general 
  

  

  * 
  Larger 
  and 
  much 
  more 
  typical 
  dunes 
  are 
  developed 
  near 
  Watch 
  Hill. 
  Rhode 
  

  

  see 
  

  

  preceding 
  paper 
  of 
  this 
  series). 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  Rhode 
  I?land 
  dunes 
  are 
  forty 
  feet 
  or 
  

   more 
  in 
  height. 
  

  

  