#coastalmarsh

Hilton Head Island South Carolina

South Carolina has more salt marsh than any other state in the eastern United States Being a natural habitat for many coastal creatures.  It is also an essential part of the world’s ecosystem.

Freedom Park on Hilton Head Island

Here is the information board showing the animals that live in the marsh.

Salt marsh habitats of Fish Haul Creek

During low tide you can see the crabs crawling around and oyster shells on the surface.

Shells on the marsh during low tide

The periwinkle is a kind of snail that stays close to the cordgrass that it can cling to if an enemy approaches.

Periwinkle in the cordgrass of the salt marsh

To get a closer look at the marsh birds, the scenic viewer is a big help

Information board for the marsh periwinkle

Scenic viewer

Egrets and herons on the marsh

They are free to roam as they please 🙂

Hope all are doing well, and I hope you are enjoying my photos of the beautiful coastal areas of Georgia and South Carolina

Alice

  /rdp-saturday-habitat/

As written on the South Carolina Department of natural resources:

A variety of algae inhabits the salt marsh and serve as primary producers of food. Most rooted plans cannot tolerate any exposure to salt. However, smooth cord grass, often called by its generic name, spartina, has evolved the ability to withstand regular inundation by saltwater. Spartina dominates the low marsh to the exclusion of almost all other plants, a creating a very unusual habitat. Spartina stalks are thick, very tough and well anchored by a root system. The plant’s narrow, tough blades and special glands that secrete excess salt, making it ideal to withstand the high heat and daily exposure to salt water. The soft marsh substrate, referred to as “pluff mud,” prevents large grazing animals from consuming living spartina stalks. Instead, the grass dies back each fall and bacteria decompose it into a rich soup known as detritus that along with algae serves as the basis of the productive salt marsh food web.

Salt marshes serve as an important part of the world’s eco-system, and home to some of the world’s most beautiful wildlife.

If you venture out onto this paradise, be prepared to sink in.

Warm wishes,

Alice

        https://citysonnet.wordpress.com/2018/10/10/october-colors-and-letters/

Okefenokee Swamp

Coastal marshlands

Coastal marshlands

These plants with modified leaves feed off of insects and live in acidic soils. As we develop and clear more natural areas, we are much more dangerous to them as they are to us.

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