Formation began 4,000 years ago with sand deposits from eroding cliffs to the west. Fluctuating lake levels create alternating dune and swale landscape. Represents an excellent example of dune succession. Scattered grasses are found along the sandy beaches of the south shore, while inland, dry cottonwood savannas thrive on the ridges and wet meadows. Marshes, ponds and swales are located between the dunes.
Older sections support white pine, red oak and maple forests.
Compact transitional zone, exhibiting both boreal and southern plant species. Substrate is unconsolidated sand and is recognized as one of the two most ecologically fragile areas in eastern Canada. Second only to Lake St. Clair as the most important migration staging area for waterfowl in Ontario south of James Bay. Long Point is one of the last resting and feeding areas for southbound birds before crossing Lake Erie, and one of the first for northbound birds. As many as 30,000 tundra swans pass through the marshes in the spring, as well as a significant portion of the North American population of canvasback and redhead ducks concentrate here during spring and fall migration.