The habitat includes shallow water, where sunlight can penetrate to the bottom, commonly known as the littoral zone. The littoral zone often applies to the entire area of ponds, which are generally shallow enough to support submerged vegetation throughout. The water's edge habitat is always wet, though the water level may vary seasonally and the habitat is frozen for some period during the winter.
Aquatic life is most abundant in the shallow water around the edges of lentic environments.
In south-western Nova Scotia, a number of rare coastal plain plants occupy this habitat.