Salt-loving plants are rare but several live in this harsh environment. Pickleweed and salt grass are found in the salt marsh. They need water, however, and are not found outside this ecosystem. Arrowweed, another salt-tolerating plant, is found in the Devil's Cornfield, near the sand dunes and Stovepipe Wells Village. Beetles and fly larvae have adapted to the salty water.
Insects are prime food for the pupfish.
Higher on the food chain, coyotes and larger birds, especially ravens, dine on pupfish. Among the other birds you'll see around the marsh are kildeer, spotted sandpiper and common snipe. The great blue heron is a sometimes visitor, as is the wood duck. Mallards and eared grebes are infrequently seen throughout the spring months. The turkey vulture is the most numerous raptor in Death Valley.