A sand drift is a mosaic of barren, shifting sand, moss, lichen, and grey hair-grass with a pioneering character and pioneering grasslands.
The low-nutrient soil translates into a lack of vascular plants. Older sand drifts primary contain mosses, such as rough maidenhair, and various lichens. Barren areas make up a large proportion of well-developed sand drifts. These areas are important for the continuous regeneration of the landscape, although they do not contribute to biodiversity. Heather, shrubs, and trees (mostly pine) gradually find their way into these sand drifts.