Category: Wetlands

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Beautiful red Salicornia plants at St. Marks NWR

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).

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Beautiful Marsh Grasses

This year for National Public Lands day I did a photo shoot along St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge road 129 which is the levee separating Stoney Bayou 1 from Mounds pool 1. The view from the levee toward Lighthouse Road can be quite beautiful and I was very pleased with the day’s photos.

The marsh grasses at the refuge are particularly attractive this time of year, and a few clouds appeared to add a bit of drama to the scene.

The marshes were so beautiful I went back a few days later with my mountain bike to ride out to East Stoney Bayou pool which has some really great vistas. It is so remote, the lighthouse appears as a white dot in the distance. I think of this area as “the outback.”

Getting there is a bit of a challenge since some levee washouts from Hurricane Michael still remain, and a fallen tree blocks the alternate access from the primitive walking trail. Access is still possible on foot, horse, or with a sturdy bicycle.

If you can get there, it is well worth the journey!

These are my favorite images from the two visits:

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