Day 64 - a Year by the Sea

This is the longest and best defined dike in the marsh. It is covered and crowned with a dense stand of Phragmites,  the common reed. The reeds dislike salt so just a slight elevation above the tide plain is sufficient for it to thrive. The seed heads are known as foxtails. These reeds are not native to this marsh and are a sign of human alteration. The red wing blackbirds are fond of them and nest in the thick stands. The phragmites stands are difficult to walk through and thus offer protection to the small birds that live and nest there. This time of year the reed stands come alive as the male red wings trumpet out their territorial cries.

Ciao!

-Jorge

This entry was posted on March 5, 2007 at 12:38 pm and is filed under Daily - another one of 365. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.