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Planning for Habitat

Habitats in Connecticut

Connecticut contains a wide variety of ecological habitats ranging from the coast to the highest elevations in the northwestern part of the state. Our geological history, climate and soils, as well as land use history, shape the habitats and vegetation we see today. The term “habitat” is used in a very broad sense here to encompass both the biological component of a particular place (such as a forest dominated by certain tree species) as well as the physical location where a particular species is likely to be found (such as a vernal pool where fairy shrimp would likely be found) or a coastal sand dune (where American beach grass occurs).

Habitats of Connecticut include: forests, woodlands, shrublands, grasslands and meadows, as well as cliffs or bluffs, rocky outcrops, vernal pools, ponds and lakes, rivers and streams.

This website provides information on particular habitats and management considerations. To date, habitat information is provided for Connecticut’s coastal habitats, grasslands and riparian buffers.  To help with management planning efforts, see the Habitat Management Plan Outline on the Managing Open Space website.

• Planning for Habitat Home
• Grasslands
• Riparian Buffers
• Coastal Habitats
• Managing Open Space
• Community Resource Inventory (CRI)