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Read Ebook: Life in the Shifting Dunes A popular field guide to the natural history of Castle Neck Ipswich Massachusetts by White Laurence B
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Ebook has 567 lines and 25304 words, and 12 pages
FLOWERS OF THE SEASHORE
Because of the great variety of leaf shapes and sizes, it is usually desirable to have the flower for conclusive identification of seashore plants. As an aid, the following species are listed by color.
Blunt-leaved Sandwort
Very thin stem and leaves Flowers 1/4 ? wide
This very attractive flower is seldom found at any distance from water's edge. Usually it grows in the moist sand of fresh-water pools, just above water level. On close examination you will find the leaves quite hairy, almost downy. The flowers are mounted at the tips of long stalks. They appear early in the spring, about May, and blooming is over by June.
Sea Milkwort
Flowers are very small, at base of leaf Thick central stalk Leaves small, fleshy, and crowded
This is one of the most common beach plants, and is seldom found away from salty soil. It grows in the salt marshes and on the beach, starting its flowering in June and continuing throughout the summer.
Beach Pea
Flowers are in clusters Branches end in twining tendrils Leaflets small, toothless, and numerous
Anyone who has seen a garden pea will recognize the Beach Pea, which is similar to but smaller than its cousin. The purple flowers are seen from May throughout the summer, and the peas are found in late summer. These peas are edible, though not particularly delicious. You will notice that Beach Pea stems are angular in cross section--a further clue to identification.
Beach Pinweed
Fruit very tiny, berry-like Leaves tiny and narrow
Pinweed is a plant of sandy soils. Often it is found growing alone on a patch of barren sand. It flowers throughout July and August. Its stem is so very woody and tough that it may easily be mistaken for a tiny, stunted tree.
Sea Lavender
Large leaves, grow only from base of plant Flowers numerous, small, on long stalks
The Sea Lavender goes by a great variety of names: "Beach Heather" and "Marsh Rosemary" are the most common. It is not a true dune dweller, for it is more often found in marshy spots; but it is a typical seaside plant. Its flowers are delicately fragrant. Amazingly enough, you may find Sea Lavender completely submerged in salt water during periods of high tide.
Woolly Hudsonia
Tiny scale-like leaves Very woolly, hairy Almost mosslike appearance
The Hudsonia is sometimes called a "False Heather" and surely reminds one of the moors. It is found in dense mats on the dunes, and when in bloom covers the sand with a bright yellow carpet. The flowers are borne in May and June and open only in sunlight. Any attempt to uproot the plant will merely break it off at the base, for the roots are extremely long and spread over many square yards.
Dusty Miller
Leaves hairy, white, and velvety to the touch Leaf with many fingerlike lobes
You don't need to see its flowers to identify Dusty Miller. Its heavy "wool" coat makes identification easy by feel alone. The flowers form dense clusters during July and August.
Seaside Goldenrod
Tall plant with large leaves Heads crowded together on drooping stem Individual heads bushy
Everyone is familiar with Goldenrod, but few realize that there are more than a hundred species, some of them very specific as to where they live. The Seaside Goldenrod is the only common species found on beaches or in marshes with salty soil.
Beach Clotbur
Large, ragged leaves Covered with short, rough hairs Heads are burrlike
The heads of this weedy plant, like those of the Burdock, are covered with curved spines easily attaching to the fur or clothing of passers-by. The burrs come late in the summer, during August or September.
Glasswort
Plant is without leaves Fleshy, jointed stems
Glasswort, a plant of the salt marsh, requires quantities of salt water. It is easily identified by its leafless stem, which looks like a string of sausages. In autumn these succulent stems turn a bright red, adding an attractive flash of color to the dying plants around them. Glasswort stems take in great quantities of salt, which you will taste if you chew one.
SHRUBS AND TREES ON THE DUNES
The shrubs and trees found on the dunes are those that grow well in sunlight and can subsist on a small amount of water.
Bayberry
Crush a leaf; note the sweet aromatic odor Small, white, waxy berry in fall
No doubt the Bayberry is familiar to you. Wax from its berries has long been used to make candles, and you may wish to take some berries home to try your hand at this. Boiling them will cause the wax to float on the water. Dip a piece of string to collect it.
Sweet Gale very closely resembles Bayberry but has tiny pine-cone-like fruits instead of white berries. It is very common in the swampy areas on the beach.
Beach Plum
Leaf with many small, sharp-pointed teeth White flowers or purple fruit
This "typical" sea-beach shrub is well known. Its fruit has long been used for "Beach Plum preserve," a New England favorite. The plums may be collected in late summer. Beach Plum is reasonably common on the back side of Crane's Beach, high on the dunes. It is often twisted and gnarled from exposure to the winds.
Poison Ivy
Three shiny leaflets Small, white, waxy berries Generally found twisting around another plant
One must admire Poison Ivy. It apparently can live anywhere and survive anything. Beware--for it occurs in patches on the beach. It is very poisonous to the touch, and the best course is to wash thoroughly with a strong soap if you come into contact with it. Some of the worst cases of ivy poisoning may originate at the beach just because people don't expect to find it here.
Black Cherry
Leaves finely toothed Twigs bitter when chewed Black cherries in hanging clusters
Cherries are usually considered lovers of rich soils, but this member of the family is quite common on the dunes. It is always contorted here, and frequently diseased, but still it survives. Generally it is found with large swellings on the branches caused by the black cherry knot fungus, since it is highly susceptible to this infection. The cherries are edible, and you may or may not enjoy them. Try one and see.
Quaking Aspen
Broad, heart-shaped leaves Stem of leaf is flat; leaf shakes easily Smooth gray or yellow-green bark
The Aspen thrives in sunlight and dry soil. It grows and dies quickly. It is called a "Quaking" Aspen because its flattened leaf stems allow its leaves to shake even in the gentlest breeze. It is often called a Poplar tree, or just "Popple."
Pitch Pine
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