...... r ,„,_, , 



-- - ■ *x' 







„ ■ _■ si.;^-«ii.'. ■■'*:- -■£*.'.■ ■ ... ... — : c— r «» 



Figure 82. Storm drift piles on Nauset Spit-East haa. 



varied from small tangles of Ammophila bveviligulata rhizomes and tillers 30 

 to 40 centimeters in diameter to shrub collections several meters in length. 

 After the February storm, it was difficult to assess the number of these 

 piles, since some piles were surficial while others ware completely buried by 

 washover deposits. Wind deflation left Ejany of these drift piles projecting 

 50 to 75 centimeters above the sand surface so that morphologically they 

 appeared as small dunes. 



Storm drift piles were sparsely vegetated and supported 13 species of 

 flowering plants on Nauset Spit-Easthara in 1978 (Table 29). Few seeds were 

 present among the organic material, and those seeds that germinated frequently 

 died by midsummer. These drift piles were composed of coarse organic material 

 which is poor in moisture retention. Species lists were compiled for all 

 three types of drift lines at 19 locations on Cape Cod in 1978 and 1979 

 (Fig. 83). Twenty-four species of flowering plants were found in storm drift 

 piles at six locations on Cape Cod in 1978 and 1979 (Tables 33 and 34). 



134 



