Carolina bays are shallow elliptical depressions found primarily in the Atlantic Coastal Plain (New Jersey to Florida).  The geological origin of these features is debated, but their presence plays an important role for biodiversity in the southeastern United States as they provide habitat for many rare species.  The name Carolina bay comes from where these geological features reach their highest concentration, which is in North Carolina and South Carolina, and the fact that they support many plants in the “bay” family (e.g. sweet bay, red bay, etc.).  They are not related to the “bays” that are ocean inlets. Carolina bays are oriented northwest to southeast on their long axis and have sand rims that tend to be largest on the southeast side. The LIDAR image to the left shows While they share a shape, bays are incredibly diverse!

The bay itself is not the only important piece of the puzzle. Many of the species that reside in Carolina bays also rely on nearby uplands and habitat connectivity to other bays. For example, amphibian species breed in bays when wet and then retreat to the uplands for the rest of the year. If one bay isn’t holding water when they are ready to breed, they may travel to another in search of the right conditions. Therefore, providing a connected network of bays and uplands is important to protecting the species that live in bays.