Part 1: Monday, July 1st, 6:37pm. The weather is 75 degrees Fahrenheit currently and very breezy by the ocean.
Part 2: It is my first time exploring this area for my Wonder Blog. This beach is right by my house, so it is somewhere that I spend a lot of time, but not somewhere that I have really studied in great detail ecologically before. I notice at this time there are very few people on the beach. There also does not appear to be as many shells in the shallow ocean water as there are when I go earlier in the day, and I wonder why that is. I notice certain species that are dried up in the sand, such as green and red seaweed, and skate eggs. There also appears to be many human footprints in the sand, as well as drawings in it, which I found super wholesome. I did notice an older man fishing by the end of the water, which was confusing to me, because is there really much to catch that shallow in the water? Another thing I noticed was the amount of seabirds on the beach. I like seeing all of the different colored birds.
Part 3: As I walk up the dunes onto the beach, I realize there are many clumps of tall grass-like plants. These plants are rich on the dunes, and may be used to protect the dunes from the ocean in event of possible flooding. This species looked purposefully planted there, and was interspersed with some kind of tall grass. I look and wonder, are these plants native to the area? How do they survive here during high tide without being washed away? Why are there so many of them here? I used the Seek app to identify them and found out they were Northern Seaside Goldenrod. I learned from Coastal Point that this plant has a coating that protects it from saltwater, which helps it to thrive in a beach ecosystem (Nalle, 2020). The article also states that they help hold down the sand, protecting the dune from eroding away. So it turns out this plant is actually super beneficial to the area where it resides.
Part 4: Five Photos
This is a picture of a wave crashing on the shore, which I chose because it shows how calm the ocean is in the background, but also its vibrancy and wild motion while it crashes onto the sand.
This photo features footprints on the sand, and I chose it because it is a beautiful representation of this ecological area being used and loved by humans. This use ties into the topics we are learning right now about human-land interactions.
This photo features a plethora of broken shells, and grains of sand. I chose it because it was so fascinating to look at the grains of sand in such detail, seeing the material we step over through a closer lens.
This picture features a smoothed piece of shell by itself, which I chose partly because of the contrasting colors in the shell, and partly because it is such a statement piece in the sand with only one tiny shell near it.
This is a picture of a sign that says “keep off dune!” which I wanted to capture, because the dunes are present to protect peoples homes from the ocean, and this shows how the environment can have detrimental effects on peoples livelihoods if the dunes are destroyed. I also like how the light shows up across this picture.
Part 5: When taking the photos, I noticed how many smaller pieces of shell and rock I saw in the sand. I usually look at the sand as a whole, but looking so closely made me appreciate all of the individual grains which look so different if you view them in detail. I didn’t really grasp before how grains of sand are similar to snowflakes in the sense that each one is a little different. It was a bit similar to sketching, because I still had to capture a certain angle of the ecosystem I was in, but also different, because my photos do a better job of conveying the beauty of nature than my sketches did. I really enjoy taking pictures and capturing moments, so it was awesome to have an assignment where I could do this! I think my pictures came out nicely, and they gave me a great idea of the makeup of the beach on a smaller scale.
Works cited:
Nalle, L. (2020). Seaside Goldenrod: Sunshine on the Dunes. Coastal point. Seaside goldenrod: Sunshine on the dunes | Lifestyle | coastalpoint.com
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