Overview of the Physiography and Vegetation of Virginia

Stretching over 750 km (450 mi) east to west from the Atlantic Ocean to the Appalachian mountains, the Commonwealth of Virginia spans five of the more than 20 major physiographic provinces found in North America (Fenneman 1938), making it one of the most diverse landscapes both topographically and floristically in the East. Because of its location between the glaciated, mountainous regions of the north and the coastal lowlands of the south, Virginia is also uniquely positioned to capture species at or near the southern limit of their range, as well as southern species reaching the northern limits of their distributions, adding to the biotic richness of the state. This combination of landscape diversity and biotic richness leads to the wealth of ecological communities found throughout the state from the maritime forests of the coastal barrier islands to the spruce forests and shale barrens of the mountains. To better understand the distribution of ecological communities across Virginia, it may be helpful to briefly examine the characteristics of the state's major topographic regions. This is by no means intended to be a comprehensive overview, but a "broad-brush" look to assist in understanding major vegetation patterns. For more comprehensive treatments of Virginia geology, physiography, and climate readers are referred to Woodward and Hoffman (1991) and the Geology of Virginia website at the College of William and Mary (http://www.wm.edu/geology/virginia/).