Plotwright
Home
Atlantic coastal pine barrens
Atlantic coastal pine barrens
RESOLVE 347
The Atlantic coastal pine barrens — the fire-dependent pitch pine + scrub oak ecosystem of the New Jersey Pinelands, Long Island Pine Barrens, Cape Cod, and smaller patches across coastal Massachusetts and adjacent Rhode Island / Connecticut / Delaware. Sandy, acidic, nutrient-poor soils plus historic frequent fire produced the open canopy and rich heath / sedge understory. The NJ Pinelands National Reserve protects the largest remnant.
Atlantic coastal pine barrens location on world map
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 39.8°N, 74.7°W.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
Current zone range (2011–2040)
8b-11a
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
9a-11a
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +5.7°F by mid-century. SSP3-7.0 (current trajectory) · CHELSA v2.1 bio06 sampled across 10 of 10 points within this ecoregion's bounding box.
Pine barrens are fire-adapted; the dominant non-climate stressor is fire suppression + suburban encroachment shrinking the burnable matrix.
Southern pine beetle outbreaks have expanded north into the NJ Pinelands as overwintering cold-kill weakens; significant pitch pine mortality is now documented in Long Island and the Pinelands.
Garden-relevant: pine-barrens natives (pitch pine, bear oak, sheep laurel, native blueberry, sweetfern) are climate-resilient by selection and underused in regional restoration palettes.
At a glance
States / provinces
New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware
Dominant biome
Temperate Conifer Forests
Realm
Nearctic
Approximate area
5,517 sq mi
Elevation range
0 – 400 ft
Climate type
Humid continental, maritime-moderated (Köppen Cfa coast, Dfa inland)
Conservation tier
Nature Could Recover (Dinerstein NNH 3)
About the temperate conifer forests biome
Temperate forests dominated by evergreen conifers, from coastal rainforests to montane pine and fir stands. Adapted to cool, moist or seasonally dry climates, they include some of the tallest and longest-lived trees on the planet.
National refinement sub-regions
Within this RESOLVE ecoregion, national agencies recognise finer-grained sub-regions. Plotwright assigns each sub-region polygon to its containing RESOLVE polygon by centroid.
EPA Level III (US-only) — 1 sub-region
84 · Atlantic Coastal Pine Barrens
Source: USGS / EPA via Omernik (1987).
What's native here
Catalog plants whose Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center native-distribution range overlaps the 6-state/province roster for this ecoregion. Distinct from the “suited” section below — these are plants that belong here, not just plants that will grow here.
Grain caveat: native here means “native to at least one state / province this ecoregion crosses,” not necessarily native to this ecoregion's specific habitat. A plant tied to wet meadows that crosses Ontario will surface for any Ontario-spanning ecoregion. Finer per-ecoregion native-status data is a future arc.
Native here · 123
Adam's needle
Allegheny blackberry
American arborvitae
American basswood
American elderberry
American hazelnut
American holly
American hophornbeam
American persimmon
American plum
American red raspberry
American sweetgum
American sycamore
Annabelle hydrangea
Arrowwood viburnum
Bald cypress
Beach plum
Big bluestem
Black cherry
Black chokeberry
Black walnut
Black willow
Black-eyed Susan
Blackhaw viburnum
Bloodroot
Blue false indigo
Blue flag iris
Blue grama
Blue vervain
Boneset
Bur oak
Butterfly weed
California poppy
Canadian serviceberry
Cardinal flower
Carolina allspice (sweetshrub)
Catawba rhododendron
Chokecherry
Christmas fern
Common blue violet
Common hackberry
Common hops
Common milkweed
Common ninebark
Common sunflower
Common witch hazel
Common yarrow
Cutleaf coneflower
Dense blazing star
Douglas fir
Dwarf crested iris
Eastern cottonwood
Eastern prickly pear
Eastern red cedar
Eastern redbud
Eastern white pine
Flowering dogwood
Foamflower
Fox grape
Foxglove beardtongue
Garden pepper
Golden alexanders
Green hawthorn
Groundnut
Hairy alumroot
Hardy hibiscus
Highbush blueberry
Honey locust
Indian grass
Lady fern
Little bluestem
Marginal wood fern
Mayapple
Maypop (purple passionflower)
Mountain laurel
New England aster
New Jersey tea
New York ironweed
Northern maidenhair fern
Northern red oak
Northern spicebush
Ostrich fern
Paper birch
Pawpaw
Pinxter azalea
Prairie dropseed
Prairie smoke
Pussy willow
Quaking aspen
Ramps
Red maple
Red mulberry
Red-osier dogwood
River birch
River oats
Sassafras
Scarlet bee balm
Shagbark hickory
Short-toothed mountain mint
Side-oats grama
Smooth blue aster
Spotted Joe-Pye weed
Stiff goldenrod
Sugar maple
Sunchoke
Swamp milkweed
Swamp sunflower
Sweet crabapple
Sweet Joe-Pye weed
Sweetbay magnolia
Switchgrass
Threadleaf coreopsis
Tulip tree (yellow poplar)
Virginia bluebells
Virginia sweetspire
White oak
White wood aster
Wild bergamot
Wild geranium
Wild lupine
Wild senna
Wild strawberry
Woodland phlox
Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion
Computed from each plant's stated USDA zone range against this ecoregion's CHELSA-derived current zone range, with the CHELSA mid-century warming delta applied for the projection. Plants whose stated range falls outside both the current and projected zone end up dropped; the rest land in one of the three buckets below.
Climate-resilient picks · 182
These plants fit this ecoregion today AND remain in range under the mid-century SSP3-7.0 projection. Lead with these for a planting that holds up as the climate shifts.
Adam's needle
American elderberry
American hazelnut
American holly
American hophornbeam
American persimmon
American sweetgum
American sycamore
Annabelle hydrangea
Annual vinca
Arugula
Asian persimmon
Asparagus
Autumn-joy stonecrop
Avocado
Bald cypress
Bay laurel
Bearded iris
Big bluestem
Bigleaf hydrangea
Black cherry
Black tupelo (black gum)
Black walnut
Black willow
Black-eyed Susan
Blackhaw viburnum
Bleeding heart
Blue elderberry
Blue false indigo
Blue flag iris
Blue grama
Blueblossom
Bok choy
Borage
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Butterfly weed
Cabbage
Calendula (pot marigold)
California fuchsia
California poppy
Camellia
Canada goldenrod
Cantaloupe
Cardinal flower
Carolina allspice (sweetshrub)
Cauliflower
Chives
Christmas fern
Cilantro
Clematis
Coast live oak
Coleus
Collard greens
Common fig
Common hackberry
Common manzanita
Common milkweed
Common olive
Common thyme
Common witch hazel
Common yarrow
Common zinnia
Cosmos
Crape myrtle
Cutleaf coneflower
Dahlia
Dill
Eastern cottonwood
Eastern prickly pear
Eastern red cedar
Eastern redbud
Eggplant
English lavender
European plum
Fennel
Flowering dogwood
Fragrant plantain lily
Fremont cottonwood
French marigold
Garden mum
Garden rose
Garden strawberry
Gardenia
Garlic
Genovese basil
Ginger
Gladiolus
Globe artichoke
Grapefruit
Ground cherry
Groundnut
Hairy alumroot
Hardy hibiscus
Hollyhock
Impatiens
Indian grass
Indian pink
Jujube
Key lime
Kiwifruit
Lacinato kale
Lady fern
Lamb's ear
Lantana
Leek
Lemon
Little bluestem
Maypop (purple passionflower)
Morning glory
Mountain laurel
Nasturtium
New York ironweed
Northern spicebush
Oakleaf hydrangea
Okra
Oregano
Oregon white oak
Pacific dogwood
Pansy
Parry's agave
Parsnip
Pawpaw
Pecan
Peppermint
Petunia
Pomegranate
Potato
Prairie dropseed
Pumpkin
Radish
Red maple
River birch
Rosemary
Russian sage
Salal
Sassafras
Scarlet bee balm
Shasta daisy
Side-oats grama
Snapdragon
Southern live oak
Southern magnolia
Spearmint
Spinach
Stevia
Stiff goldenrod
Summer savory
Summersweet (sweet pepperbush)
Sunchoke
Swamp milkweed
Swamp sunflower
Sweet alyssum
Sweet corn
Sweet Joe-Pye weed
Sweet marjoram
Sweet orange
Sweet pea
Sweet potato
Sweet William
Sweetbay magnolia
Switchgrass
Tall verbena
Threadleaf coreopsis
Toyon
Tulip tree (yellow poplar)
Turmeric
Turnip
Virginia bluebells
Virginia sweetspire
Watermelon
Wax begonia
Western redbud
Western sword fern
White clover
White oak
Wild bergamot
Wild geranium
Wild senna
Wine grape
Winterberry
Zonal geranium
Wildlife your native plants here support
What this surface IS — and isn't
Inferred from the relationships catalog plants native to this region have with wildlife. We don't carry direct wildlife-range data per ecoregion — this lists what your native plant palette here can support, not a verified checklist of what occurs here. Cross-check the range note on each wildlife's detail page before treating a row as a presence claim.
Only plants with structured native-distribution data contribute here. Old World cultivars and most vegetables are excluded by design — this view shows “what your native palette supports,” not “what your whole garden does.” It will grow as more plants gain native-range data.
Larval hosts · 29
Plants that caterpillars and other larvae feed on while growing.
Butterfly
Eastern tiger swallowtail
Papilio glaucus
28 native plants here: American plum, Black cherry, Black willow + 25 more
Moth
Polyphemus moth
Antheraea polyphemus
23 native plants here: American basswood, American hophornbeam, American persimmon + 20 more
Butterfly · Specialist support
Skipper butterflies
Hesperiidae (family-level entry)
16 native plants here: Adam's needle, Big bluestem, Blue grama + 13 more
Butterfly · Specialist support
Monarch butterfly
Danaus plexippus
12 native plants here: Butterfly weed, Common milkweed, Swamp milkweed + 9 more
Moth
Hummingbird clearwing moth
Hemaris thysbe
10 native plants here: American plum, Arrowwood viburnum, Beach plum + 7 more
Moth
Io moth
Automeris io
10 native plants here: Allegheny blackberry, American red raspberry, Black willow + 7 more
Moth
Imperial moth
Eacles imperialis
9 native plants here: Black walnut, Bur oak, Eastern white pine + 6 more
Moth
Cecropia moth
Hyalophora cecropia
8 native plants here: Black cherry, Black willow, Chokecherry + 5 more
Butterfly
Mourning cloak
Nymphalis antiopa
8 native plants here: Black willow, Common hackberry, Eastern cottonwood + 5 more
Butterfly
Spring azure
Celastrina ladon
7 native plants here: American plum, Arrowwood viburnum, Black cherry + 4 more
Moth · Specialist support
Hawkmoths
Sphingidae (family-level entry)
6 native plants here: Bald cypress, Black cherry, Chokecherry + 3 more
Moth
Luna moth
Actias luna
6 native plants here: American persimmon, American sweetgum, Black walnut + 3 more
Butterfly
Red-spotted purple
Limenitis arthemis astyanax
6 native plants here: Black cherry, Black willow, Chokecherry + 3 more
Butterfly
Common buckeye
Junonia coenia
5 native plants here: Blue vervain, Foxglove beardtongue, New England aster + 2 more
Butterfly
Painted lady
Vanessa cardui
5 native plants here: Hardy hibiscus, Common milkweed, Dense blazing star + 2 more
Butterfly · Specialist support
Great spangled fritillary
Speyeria cybele
4 native plants here: Common blue violet, Blue vervain, Boneset + 1 more
Butterfly
Pearl crescent
Phyciodes tharos
4 native plants here: New England aster, Smooth blue aster, White wood aster + 1 more
Butterfly
Viceroy
Limenitis archippus
4 native plants here: Black willow, Eastern cottonwood, Pussy willow + 1 more
Butterfly · Specialist support
Cloudless sulphur
Phoebis sennae
3 native plants here: Wild senna, Groundnut, Wild lupine
Moth · Specialist support
Milkweed tussock moth
Euchaetes egle
3 native plants here: Butterfly weed, Common milkweed, Swamp milkweed
Butterfly · Specialist support
Spicebush swallowtail
Papilio troilus
3 native plants here: Northern spicebush, Sassafras, Tulip tree (yellow poplar)
Butterfly
Eastern comma
Polygonia comma
2 native plants here: Common hackberry, Common hops
Butterfly
Eastern tailed-blue
Cupido comyntas
2 native plants here: Wild lupine, Wild senna
Butterfly · Specialist support
Gulf fritillary
Agraulis vanillae
1 native plant here: Maypop (purple passionflower)
Butterfly
Silvery checkerspot
Chlosyne nycteis
2 native plants here: Black-eyed Susan, Cutleaf coneflower
Butterfly
Black swallowtail
Papilio polyxenes
1 native plant here: Golden alexanders
Moth · Specialist support
Hydrangea sphinx moth
Darapsa versicolor
1 native plant here: Annabelle hydrangea
Butterfly · Specialist support
Karner blue
Plebejus melissa samuelis
1 native plant here: Wild lupine
Butterfly · Specialist support
Zebra swallowtail
Protographium marcellus
1 native plant here: Pawpaw
Collections for this ecoregion
Curated multi-plant collections whose members all fit this ecoregion's zone range — no won't-grow members smuggled in. Overall fit class shown per collection is the weakest link across its members.
Currently suited · 2 plants
Bright shade foundation
A part-shade starting point with shrub structure and low foliage contrast.
Annabelle hydrangea
Coral bells
+4
Currently suited · 8 plants
Climate-resilient natives for warming zones (eastern NA)
A pollinator-supporting palette of eastern NA natives whose USDA zone range and broad continental distribution score high on the climate-resilience composite. Every plant tolerates 6-7 USDA zones and is native across 15+ US states + multiple Canadian provinces. Holds up under the SSP3-7.0 mid-century projection without the gardener trading wildlife value for resilience.
Switchgrass
Little bluestem
Common milkweed
Black-eyed Susan
Wild bergamot
Sweet Joe-Pye weed
Cutleaf coneflower
New England aster
Currently suited · 3 plants
Kitchen patio planters
A compact edible collection for containers, patios, and near-door harvesting.
Genovese basil
Lacinato kale
Coral bells
+2
Currently suited · 6 plants
Mediterranean drought-tolerant edible
A low-water edible palette of culinary herbs + a hardy grape for hot dry sunny sites. Mediterranean-origin plants thrive on neglect; their primary failure mode is overwatering, not underwatering.
English lavender
Rosemary
Garden sage
Oregano
Common thyme
Fox grape
+5
Currently suited · 9 plants
Native pollinator border (eastern US)
A continuous-bloom native pollinator strip for eastern North America. Covers spring through frost with host + nectar plants spanning monarchs, native bees, hummingbirds, and specialist Lepidoptera. Little bluestem provides the matrix grass + Hesperiidae host.
Butterfly weed
Common milkweed
Purple coneflower
Wild bergamot
Scarlet bee balm
Little bluestem
Sweet Joe-Pye weed
Swamp sunflower
Smooth blue aster
Currently suited · 4 plants
Sunny pollinator border
A durable sunny border with summer bloom, seedheads, and upright winter texture.
English lavender
Purple coneflower
Black-eyed Susan
Switchgrass
Plotwright
Climate-aware plant planning — every plant checked against your zone now and in 2050.
support@arteractive.co
© 2026 Plotwright