Browsed by
Category: Seashore

Eastern baccharis (Baccharis halimifolia)

Eastern baccharis (Baccharis halimifolia)

Eastern baccharis (Baccharis halimifolia), also known as groundsel bush or sea myrtle, is a perennial deciduous shrub associated with the high marsh system, often confused with marsh elder (Iva frutescens), due to their similar growth form and placement in the landscape. One way to tell the plants apart is their leaves. Eastern baccharis has alternate, simple, thick egg-shaped leaves (up to 2.5” long), that are coarsely toothed above the middle of the leaf, although the uppermost leaves can have smooth…

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Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin)

Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin)

There are fresh water turtles (e.g., snapping turtles, red-eared sliders, painted turtles, etc.), there are sea turtles (e.g., leatherback turtles, green turtles, kemp’s ridley turtles, etc.) that live in salt water, and then there are diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin). Terrapins are the only turtle in North America found brackish coastal tidal marshes, with Cape Cod marking the northernmost extent of their range. Terrapins can tolerate short periods of below freezing temperatures, but not for more than a week or two,…

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Eelgrass (Zostera marina)

Eelgrass (Zostera marina)

Over the past month, I have conducted half a dozen eelgrass surveys in support of various projects at work. The intent of these surveys is to locate and map the presence and extent of eelgrass beds to ensure that proposed projects in adjacent areas (e.g., beach nourishment, dredging for navigation, the construction of dock, etc.) take adequate steps to avoid adverse impacts to this ecologically important resource. My favorite part of conducting these surveys, however, is getting a rare glimpse into…

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Northern Moon Snail (Lunatia heros)

Northern Moon Snail (Lunatia heros)

While walking along Nauset spit in Orleans, I encountered this Northern Moon Snail (Lunatia heros) that had been caught out on the sand as the tide retreated. It was just starting to dig down into the wet sand to keep from drying out, as well as to avoid predators, such as gulls. Moon snails also burrow to find their prey: bivalves. Since many clams are found more than 6 inches below the surface, moon snails must burrow to find them….

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Mole crabs (Emerita talpoida)

Mole crabs (Emerita talpoida)

Until this weekend, I hadn’t seen mole crabs (Emerita talpoida) since I was a child. The lack of sightings was less to do with an absence of the crabs and more to do with the fact that I no longer dig holes and build sandcastles at the beach. My boyfriend and I were discussing these interesting little crabs as we walked down the beach yesterday and he wanted to see one. My suggestion: dig a hole in the wet sand….

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Wild Edible: Beach Pea

Wild Edible: Beach Pea

Every day there are new signs of spring. In addition to the three pairs of Piping Plovers and a Killdeer (both first of year for me this year), while walking on the beach on Friday, I also noticed a number of new plants, flowering and leafing out, as well as new growth emerging from herbaceous plants.  This new growth greatly expands the options for foraging.  One such edible plant is the beach pea, which was sprouting in numerous places at…

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Knobbed Whelk (Busycon carica)

Knobbed Whelk (Busycon carica)

There are two common species of whelk in this area: the Channeled Whelk (Busycon canaliculatum) and the Knobbed Whelk (Busycon carica). They represent our largest beach snails, and their shells can grow to be 7 to 9 inches long.  As living snails, or as empty shells on the beach, they are fairly easy to distinguish, and are appropriately named. The Channeled Whelk has a groove, or channel, running along the spiraled portion of its shell, while the Knobbed whelk has…

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Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

On a recent trip to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge yesterday, my friend and I saw a number of new-to-me birds, including a Barred Owl (Strix varia) and an American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea).  However, those sightings were often fleeting and from a great distance.  The Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus), on the other hand, were bold and curious and often perched only a few feet from us to search for food amongst the branches and reeds. Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) –…

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Mantis shrimp (Squilla empusa)

Mantis shrimp (Squilla empusa)

Beachcombing often yields glimpses into ocean life, but rarely gives you the full picture. A washed up moon snail shell fails to show you the incredible span on the snail’s body when it’s alive. A gull feather is not only a poor substitute for the whole bird, but it is often difficult or impossible to decipher the species of gull from which it came. Similarly, finding the shell of a mantis shrimp’s tail hardly does justice to the living creature,…

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Ribbed Mussel (Geukensia demissa)

Ribbed Mussel (Geukensia demissa)

Although most people just notice a sea of grasses when they look at a salt marsh, there are many other organisms that make their home in and among these plants. While many of these animals, such as fiddler crabs and snails are less commonly seen as the weather gets colder, there are others, like the ribbed mussel (Geukensia demissa) that are not as mobile; once settled, ribbed mussels are very sedentary. Ribbed mussels occur in salt marshes along the western…

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