Next to the Lighthouse at St Marks NWR is an elevated observation deck that looks over the marshes to the southeast.
At high tide pools of water and marsh grasses are visible and at low tide large sections of sand are seen.
At certain times of the year, particularly in fall and winter, the sand appears to be red. I originally assumed it was red algae but I later discovered color is mostly from a salt loving succulent known as Salicornia (aka glasswort).
The genus Salicornia takes its name from the Latin words “Salt Horn” and the plant does look like antlers.
Here are some pictures I took of Salicornia at low tide with a telephoto lens from Lighthouse Road this autumn (11-04-2021).
To learn more about this amazing plant check out the links below.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salicornia
https://blog.wfsu.org/blog-coastal-health/2010/09/autumn-in-the-marsh
https://blog.wfsu.org/blog-coastal-health/estuaries/salt-marsh/meet-species-grass/#woody-glasswort
https://www.definitions.net/definition/salicornia
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=129055