Beyond the narrow ribbon of salt marsh, between land and sea, lies the sand plain and dunes of Cape Cod. Whereas the salt marsh is a landscape of water, the sand plain is a landscape of fire. The soils are dry and porous; the plants are those which can survive fire and drought. Some, as the pitch pine, are dependant on fire to open their cones to seed, others survive the droughts and fires as black oak, bear berry, sweet fern, cladonia and andropogon grasses. The plant palette like the salt marsh has adapted over time to survive the harsh conditions of the sand plain. The landscape mosaic of the sand plain has been documented over the years using aerial photography, ground level photography, drawings and color analysis to communicate the subtle beauty and unique qualities of the sand plain to the public.