North America's Environmental Setting

Have you ever wondered what the landscape, natural vegetation, weather, and climate of Boston is? In this segment i will attempt to answer these questions. However, let me first begin by introducing and defining a few important terms. The definitions of these terms can be found in the textbook "The Geography of North America", by Hardwick, Shelley, and Holtgrieve, in Chapter 2.
Topography is the nature and description of local landforms that are both natural and human-made.
Physiographic provinces are the interrelated patterns of landforms, vegetation, soils, and hydrology.
Weather is the day-to-day atmospheric conditions.
Climate is the long-term pattern of weather and atmospheric conditions on the earth's surface.
Natural vegetation is the vegetation that occurs spontaneously without regular management or maintenance and that generally has a strong component of native species.

The landscape of Boston as been greatly affected by glaciation. Its coastlines features "larger beaches, spits, bay barriers, and lagoons." (21) The physiographic province of Boston Massachusetts is the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, which is "a lowland area...characterized by some of the flattest terrain on the continent that gently slopes toward the sea."(24)  Boston's posses a type of soil known as spodosols. It is part of the eastern forest. Its natural vegetation consist of broadleaf deciduous forest. this type of vegetation is due to the type of climate experienced in Boston, Massachusetts. This climate is known as a continental mid-latitude climate. In this type of climate boston is more likely to experience warm summers, and "frost-free period of at least three months and less precipitation than the humid hot summer climates or the mesothermal climates." (34)  Boston Massachusetts is affected by the Maritime tropical (mT). During the month of January Massachusetts experiences two different levels of precipitation. The western side experiences 2-4 inches of rain while the eastern side, closer to the coast, experiences 4-8 inches. During july for example, these distinctions disappear, as the state as a whole, experiences about 2-4 inches of rain. The first level ecoregion is eastern temperate forest, and its level two ecoregion is mississippi alluvial and southeast USA coastal plains.
Hardwick, Shelley, and Holtgrieve,"The Geography of North America", Prentice Hall; 2 edition, 2012 

This video focuses on the landform of Boston, Massachusetts, i hope you guys enjoy it. 
Freedom Trail & Historic Boston - Guide to its Unique Geography and Changing Landscape