Restoration Matters!

Thanks to Dave Fuss, Indian River Land Trust (IRLT) Director of Stewardship, and newly hired Land Steward JD Hart, for leading a wonderful walk on Sunday, 3/8/2020, for us at the Winter Beach Salt Marsh.  This 65+ acre property is one of few places that has not been impounded for mosquito control.  Dave showed us both intact salt marsh and restoration efforts in progress …

The IRLT removed and burned the invasive Brazilian pepper trees (Schinus terbinthifolia) that had consumed this area crowding out salt marsh vegetation.  Above you can see giant leather fern (Acrostichum danaeifolium) and salt marsh succulents — saltwort (Batis maritima) and glasswort (Salicornia sp.) — re-vegetating the area.

Saltwort has a sprawling habit and was eaten by aboriginal people and pioneer as a “pre-salted salad” …

Perennial glasswort (Salicornia ambigua), also known as Virginia glasswort, has an upright habit and is shown at the bottom of the picture below …

Annual glasswort (Salicornia bigelovii), also called dwarf saltwort, has a bushier habit …

The resilience of these succulent halophytes, plants adapted to grow in saline conditions, is amazing.

Rising sea levels have killed the cabbage palm trees (Sabal palmetto) pictured above and are “pushing” the salt marsh westward.  That expansion is limited by the upland property that is part of Grand Harbor.

Disturbance also invites invasive pest plants, weeds, and the “invasion” of white mangrove seedlings (Laguncularia racemosa) shown below along with the white-flowered prostrate herb-of-grace (Bacopa monnieri).

Thanks to the IRLT for purchasing and beginning to restore this area …