#eelgrass

A ribbon of eelgrass in the mouth of a manatee

PHOTOGRAPH BY JASON GULLEY

Out walking the low tide. It’s spring and the eelgrass is starting to grow for the season. Seaweeds are starting to take off also as the days get longer and warmer.

The eelgrass is healthy and thick. This is mostly zostera japonica but there is also native zostera marina.

Day 8: Zostera

Journey to the Underwater Meadows of Nantucket (Eelgrass" Cause & Affection) by Rich Blundell

"我對大自然感到敬畏……也對大自然感到有點奇怪 I'm awed by Nature... and a little odd by nature"

─ Dr. Rich Blundell

In the Summer 2024, Oika ecologist Dr. Rich Blundell helped the Maria Mitchell Association and the Great Harbor Yacht Club Foundation deploy a state-of-the-art oceanographic buoy to measure key water-quality metrics in Nantucket Harbor. On the same day, he also deployed a second sensor, the artist, Rita Leduc. This human one was tuned to the aesthetic and affective dimensions of the eelgrass ecosystem.

via Rich Blundell (@RichBlundell)

◠‿◠Love it. Thanks xoxo

常見的鰻草Common eelgrass Scientific name /Zostera marina

▪︎ 鰻草，大葉藻科大葉藻屬下的一種海草，廣泛分佈於北半球、北美洲和歐亞大陸沿海海域，甚至在北極也能生存。

▪︎ This seagrass species is a kind of flowering plant that lives beneath the sea, providing an important habitat for many rare and wonderful species. 這種海草是一種生長在海底的開花植物，為許多稀有物種提供了重要的棲息地。

▪︎ Common eelgrass is a plant species (not a seaweed) that lives on the very low shore down to 10m deep and can form dense seagrass meadows. These meadows form important underwater habitats in shallow seas, providing shelter for many species, including seahorses and pipefish. They also provide important nursery habitats for small fish, cuttlefish, shellfish and rays. Seagrass beds grow on sandy seabeds in very shallow waters - as they need good levels of light to photosynthesise. They grow in sheltered areas, such as estuaries, bays and inlets. Seagrass is an important food source for many overwintering birds such as geese. Common Eelgrass gets its name from its long, eel-like leaves.

Photo : Common eelgrass ©Paul Naylor www.marinephoto.co.uk

Briefmarke / Postage Stamp / Frimärke

Åland Europa (C.E.P.T.) 2024 - Algräs (Zostera marina)