Day 246 - a Year by the Sea

September 4, 2007 by OrientSee.

In a very short time the dark seed heads of the phragmites reeds are changing color. The dark almost black is turning towards the silver that will flood the marsh with brightness. The wind will catch the reeds and the sun will fill your eyes with sharp glitter. It is the defining moment of Belle Isle Marsh. It is ironic that the reeds are not native and depend on the interfering hands of humans. It is land that has been disturbed that hosts phragmites. The native cordgrasses flourish in the marsh but are not so tall or showy. Spartina alterniflora grows by the water and Spartina patens grows in a cowlick, mohawk fashion away from the actual tidal water. All these grasses are abundant in the marsh but it is the phramites with its silver foxtails that is the showiest.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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