Often called nurseries of the sea, coastal marshes provide a home to a variety of wildlife. At Rumney Marsh dozens of species of fish and shellfish like out some portion of their lives. Striped bass, menhaden and flounder are found in these marshes. (4) Alewife, blueback herring, and rainbow smelt spawn in the upper reaches of the Saugus River, while minnow-like fish such as mummichogs and stricklebacks are found in marsh pools and mosquito ditches. Shellfish inhabitants include ribbed mussel and soft-shelled claims (6). Birds are the area's most conspicuous inhabitants. From snowy owls to snowy egrets (2), thousands of birds depend on these wetlands for survival. Situated along a major migration route of flyway . Rumney Marsh provides areas of rest and food for the tired migrants, like ospreys (1), and others who travel thousands of miles each spring and fall.

Rumney Marsh is also home to mammals like raccoon (3), red fox, muskrat, and meadow voles. Insects and other invertebrates such as species of worms and crustaceans, play an important role in the rich salt marsh food web.

Marsh Plants: Tall, thick cordgrass grows along creeks and wetter areas of the marsh (7). Shorter, finer salt meadow grasses grow above the level of the high tide and form the expansive field to the marsh (8). In the inner tidal area, sea lettuce and bladderack grow (5). These plants have special adaptations that allow them to survive in salt water, a condition that would kill most plants. An important part of the salt marsh food web, these plants, specifically marsh grasses, were vital to the early colonists as a source of food for their livestock.

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