Thursday, August 11, 2011

plants of the wrack line

Another benefit of the beach closure is that some of the beach-growing plants get a chance to take hold, which helps build dunes. I found a lot of plants growing in the wrack. I think I'm losing my plant identification skills though.  I thought this was salicornia until I took a closer look and noticed that the leaves are not segmented.

Maybe lamb's quarters?

I know I should know what this one is, but I can't match it to any of the photos in my field guide.

OK, this is squash. Weird that it's growing on the beach, but definitely squash. It was fully open when I walked by it early in the morning but when I came back and the rain had started, the blossoms were all either closed or half-closed.
squash blossom
My guess on this one is celandine, an introduced species. The leaves don't all look lobed though.

2 comments:

Dawn Fine said...

Wonder what kind of squash you will be harvesting on the beach...
Planning another Birders who Blog Tweet and Chirp outing for either Sept 18th or 19th...let me know if either of those dates work for you.
Happy Birding!

Jennifer said...

I just came across your pictures while looking for a plant I have. The top plant looks like a Moss Rose. They like hot areas with sandy soil. They put out beautiful little flowers.