Oyster Bar Marsh

Many thanks to Dave Fuss, Indian River Land Trust (IRLT) Director of Stewardship, for leading a wonderful walk at the recently opened Oyster Bar Marsh Conservation Area. Indian River County purchased much of the property in 2001, and the IRLT added additional land in 2015. On February 1, 2023, the IRLT celebrated the grand opening of this conservation area that traverses mosquito control impoundment dikes. A shell parking area, landscaped with native plants, and a native plant garden are located just off of Highway A1A.

Mangroves — red, black, and white — line the mosquito impoundment dikes that were overtopped by brackish water by Hurricane Nicole …

Despite the name of this conservation area, salt marsh plants are limited to the dike edges. Lots of sea oxeye daisy (Borrichia frutescens) was present, some of it in flower …

A good bit of Florida pellitory (Parietaria floridana), an annual native weed that is the larval host plant for the red admiral butterfly (Vanessa atalanta), was present. Likely, you have this delicate and easily uprooted plant in your yard …

Lots of Virginia peppergrass (Lepidium virginicum), a larval host plant for great southern white butterflies (Ascia monuste), is another weedy native annual plant that you may have in your yard and is volunteering on the dikes. Note the distinctive turquoise antennal club of this butterfly. Saltwort (Batis martima), a salt marsh succulent, is another larval host for this butterfly, but wasn’t present where we walked.