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  Along the mountain ridges in Massachusetts is a special habitat known as rocky balds. These places are inhabited by several rare species. There are copperhead snakes and black rat snakes, whorled milkweed and long-awned grass, as well as many kinds of insects. These summits are exposed to severe weather conditions--high wind, extreme dryness due to thin soils, and both extreme heat and cold. This makes these areas distinctive. Many of the rare plants and animals that are found on these exposed bedrock knobs are at the northern edge of their geographic range. Grasslands | Rocky Intertidal | Old Growth Forest | Open Ocean Pitch Pine Barren | Riparian Habitat | Rocky Bald | Vernal Pools |