Masonboro Banks - North Carolina

Flora (Plant Life)

Dunes are covered by sea oats, panic grasses, seaside spurge and sea rocket. Seaside evening primrose, prickly pear and gaillardia grow behind the ocean dunes. Slightly higher sandy areas are covered by shrub thicket characterized by wax myrtle, silverling, red cedar, yaupon and Hercules' club. Isolated maritime forest hammocks are located where inundation by storm tides is very rare. Live oak, loblolly pine and red cedar trees, plus an understory of shrub thicket species, are typically found in this community. Marsh areas are dominated by saltmarsh cordgrass in low marsh areas, while high marsh is covered by a mixture of species including sea ox-eye, black needlerush, saltmeadow cordgrass and sea lavender.

Fauna (Animal Life)

Nearshore waters are frequented by brown pelicans, shearwaters, royal terns, herring gulls and laughing gulls. The intertidal beach zone serves as a resting and feeding area for sand pipers and plovers. Mourning doves, ground doves, and common nighthawks nest and feed within the dune areas, while boat-tailed grackles and red-winged blackbirds feed on seed oat seeds in the fall. Seasonal nesters include black skimmers, night hawks and American oystercatchers. Other birds include warblers and sparrows, great blue and little blue herons, tricolor herons, snowy egrets, great egrets, willets and clapper rails.

Forty-four species of fish have been collected from the waters of this site, including spot, mullet, summer flounder, pompano, menhaden, bluefish, striped killfish, mummichog, pinfish, silversides and sheepshead minnow. Mammals on the island include cotton rats, house mice, marsh rabbits, opossums, raccoons and river otters. Invertebrate residents of the intertidal mud and sand flats include various mollusks: quahog clams, marsh razor clams, oysters and mud snails.

Endangered Species

Four animal species found at the Masonboro Island site are recognized as endangered or threatened by the federal government. Peregrine falcons (endangered) have been reported as rare seasonal transients. Piping plovers (threatened) feed on the island during the winter. Loggerhead and Green sea turtles nest on Masonboro Island ocean beach. Sea beach amaranth is present in the foredunes and upper beach.

Masonboro Banks

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