Tidal Marshes wetland submerged aquatic vegetation estuary . Tidal marshes of the shallow waters of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries connect the shorelines to the wetlands and forests .
Tidal freshwater marshes support a greater diversity of plant species than do salt marshes.
In the shallower waters of the tidal freshwater marshes grow common cattail, narrow-leafed cattail and various species of sedges that resemble grasses but have triangular stems and large brown nutlets. Salt marshes are estuarine habitats for plant and animal species that can tolerate a mixture of both salt and freshwater. Low marshes are dominated by the most important plant species in the estuary, saltmarsh cordgrass. These regularly flooded marshes serve as critical habitat for juvenile fish and a variety of invertebrates, including shrimp, fiddler crabs, marsh crabs, the marsh periwinkle and the Atlantic ribbed mussel. High marshes are salt marsh habitats that flood irregularly due to strong winds or exceptionally high tides.