Maryland shares many common traits with other northeastern states, one of which is being home to a multitude of different ecosystems. Maryland is home to a wide range of different environments from coastal to forest, and many of the ecosystems that fall somewhere in between.
While the Chesapeake Bay may be the most well-known geographic feature of the state of Maryland, many freshwater ecosystems thrive in the freshwater rivers and streams that run throughout the state. These rivers and streams are home to many endangered fish such as the black banded sunfish. A 2008 study shines light on the importance of these ecosystems, pointing out that nearly 41 percent of the freshwater fish native to the area are considered endangered and six species have not been seen in 20 years.
Maryland sports a large coastal ecosystem, not only because of its easternmost border with the Atlantic Ocean, but also because it surrounds the Chesapeake Bay on two sides. Many beaches are home to a variety of life, and coastal woods provide native animals and plants with the ecosystem needed to sustain a healthy natural balance. The coastal areas can vary greatly from one point to another, meaning that the local coastal ecosystem in one part of Maryland will be beach, while in another it will be forest.
Woodland gardens exist throughout Maryland in large part because of the impact early settlers made on the land. Throughout Maryland, batches of natural woods are mixed with woodland "gardens" of plants that originally were not native to Maryland, but have spread during the past hundred years and now have become a part of the modern woodland ecosystem.
