Estuary

Estuaries 

the area where the land meets  the sea. Here where the salty waters of the Gulf of Mexico are mingled with the fresh waters of the mighty Suwannee. It's on the edge of the world not too far from the middle of nowhere.

let's explore...

 Constantly changing tides, temperatures and salinity

These estuarine environments south of the Suwannee & including the areas around the Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge like many, many other areas are the cradle of the Gulf.

These shallow waters with their mangroves forests & vast acres of smooth cordgrass and black needle rush are home to 95% of Florida's fish, crustaceans and shellfish in their early life.

Plants Living in this salty environment are the Glasswort and saltworts.

Black Mangroves

Here's a Crab like Spiny Orb weaver living in the mangroves.

Mangroves ahead.

These sheltered lagoons and bays are rare and under threat by over development...

Black needle rush & a dead tree that probably died from salt water intrusion.

These estuaries are highly productive. Rivers & streams bring rich nutrients from uplands. Plants use these nutrients, along with the Suns energy, carbon dioxide & water to manufacture food.

West Virginia August 2015

The following photos record my annual trip to West Virginia, my birth place. We visited and re connected with family. Three of our nine g kids went along. Hannah, Levi & Raechel Brinkman.

West Virginia bound.

There's no place like it.

With Uncle Bill & Aunt Glenna

With Cousins Camille & Jarron

Hannah with Cousin Elisa Edwards

With Cousin Elisa

G dad & Brinkmans in the woods.

With Uncle Homer Hunter.

With cousin Olivia at New River Bridge.

Uncle Homer & Greta

Camden Park in Huntington

Back in the time machine.

.

The trip. Gdad, Levi, Hannah & Raechel

Visiting  family who've gone before us.

More visits. Pauleys, McCormicks & Dunlaps graves.

Olivia & Hannah at Olivia's new piano.

Neice Greta at the law office in Charleston.

Hannah at the p-nut shop

West Virginia Capitol Building.

West Virginia Coal Mining.

Morning Coffee in the hills.

Kanawha Saline Presbyterian at Malden. 

Old Sycamore at the church gate.

The New River Gorge Bridge. Wow.

Sweet Joe Pie weeds On the New River.

The Mystery Hole since 1972

On the Coal River in Lincoln county.

More Coal River adventure.

In the Lincoln County hills.

The long abandoned McCormick/Mccallister 

coal mine.

 

Hannah & Great, great grandad Pauleys apple tree.

Waffles @ uncle Bills & Aunt Glennas

More country cooking @ the Chapmans

And more...

Uncle Bills biscuits like Mama made em'

The West Virginia Hills. We will return again.

Welcome to Grassy Key

    Grassy Key. The Phantom of the Islands.  A        crescent shaped emerald gem set in the            waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Grassy Key disapears...then re-appears

Inhabited by a vast number of hermit crabs.

if it weren't named Grassy it could be called Hermit Key

There you see it. Grassy Key. Covered entirely with smooth cordgrass. Spartina Alterfolia.

Moon Snail, Sharks Eye, well no its a Hermit Crab.

These are also prolific Grassy Key occupants. Nassas, mud snails. Thousands of em.

Juvenile Horse Shoe Crab. Limulus Polyphemus. 

Grassy Key & me against the Gulf.

Well these are the largest sea grape, Sea Squirts ever seen by this blogger.

That's a pear whelk and a tulip shell...guess again. Both a re home to hermits.

Empty (can ya believe it) Banded Tulip Shell.

And an unidentified blob, mass .

Now that's a docile little shrimp. However he does carry a weapon; a pistol. His right claw is enlarged and he can fire it making a pop.

He's the Snaping Shrimp (Alpheidae)of

 Grassy Key.

Grassy Key. Elevation above sea level I'm guessing about 2 ft.

Sea level is the mid point between mean low tide and mean high tide.

Sometimes you see it sometimes you don't.