Editing Dithmarschen (section)

===Flora and fauna===
[[File:Baeume im Westwind.JPG|left|thumb|Wind influences tree growth]]

While the Geest has some woods, trees are found in marshlands only in the form of wind protection around houses or villages. Traditional are the {{ill|Wallhecke|de|lt=Knicks}}: tree rows with strong undergrowth to protect agricultural land from the wind.

Several bogs are present in Dithmarschen. A special position is taken by the "Weißes Moor" (White bog), the only bog still existing in a quite-natural shape in the Schleswig-Holstein marsh land.

[[File:Phoca vitulina he.jpg|thumb|[[Common seal]] on a sand bank]]
[[File:BrantaLeucopsisFilghtB.jpg|thumb|Barnacle goose in flight]]
Part of the [[Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park]] is in Dithmarschen. It is the most important natural habitat in the district. Many molluscs can be found here, including [[bivalve]]s, [[gastropods]], [[worm]]s and [[crustaceans]], which provide food for larger animals. Fish use the Wadden Sea as a "kindergarten" where they can raise their offspring in a protected environment. Although many species of birds settle permanently in the Wadden Sea, many others use it only as a winter habitat or as a resting place. Typical birds in Dithmarschen are [[dunlin|dunlins]], [[Red knot|red knots]], [[bar-tailed godwit|bar-tailed godwits]], [[northern lapwing]]s, [[ringed plover|ringed plovers]], [[Eurasian oystercatcher|Eurasian oystercatchers]], many species of [[duck]] and [[gull]], [[sandwich tern|sandwich terns]], [[pied avocet|pied avocets]], [[brent goose|brent geese]] and [[barnacle goose|barnacle geese]]. 200,000 [[common shelduck]]s alone come in August. The shelducks lose their feathers in the Wadden Sea and therefore are unable to fly for around three weeks. The majority of common shelducks in Northwestern Europe travel to the area at this time. Large [[salt marsh]]es are located along the Friedrichskoog coast and in the Neufeld Bay.

Three sand banks, [[Trischen]], Tertius and [[Blauort]] are in the sea. They are some of only a few still-natural habitats along the German coast, and they are of importance to sea birds and seals. After futile attempts in the 1930s to make them habitable to humans, they are now part of the national park, closed to public access. Many birds preferring wet grasslands live in the [[Eider-Treene Valley]].