Here are the pictures from my delightful afternoon in Connecticut by the sea. Beverly, John and I took a long walk through the marsh and onto the beach, wandering along a side path first. Sadly, invasive phragmites have taken over and spoiled much of the view Tim & I enjoyed when we came here five years ago. See that post here: sunlight by the sea. And it wasn’t long before we found another invasive species landing on our clothing, the newly arrived spotted lanternfly. Sigh.
I have not included pictures of either of them, and have no pictures of the beach itself because it was covered with people! But we made the best of it and found many little treasures to appreciate.
On the trip up to Connecticut we came the “inland” route to avoid the city traffic, through the Blue Ridge and Poconos mountains. Lovely goldenrod was blooming in abundance along the highway.
John is a botanist so we learned a bit about the different kinds of marsh and dune grasses and how they occupy different zones, depending on if the marsh is receding away from the sea or staying in place for a while. It will be interesting to see how this marsh deals with climate change.
I miss my beach roses and was so grateful to see a few on this walk. Lots of berries for migrating birds.
To avoid staring at people we walked the wrack line and found a few interesting items.
And of course, Beverly is a geologist so we found ourselves spending a lot of time at the glacial moraine at the end of the beach. In our younger years we might have been found climbing all over these boulders but decided to play it safe and not risk slipping and breaking any bones.
Listening to the waves was soothing, and the more we looked around the more there was to observe.
On the way back we found more beach roses and a cute laughing gull standing on the sand far enough away from any person, making possible my only gull picture of the afternoon. There were some gulls flying overhead, but too fast for me to capture.
But, not to worry, we were headed for another beach after a couple of errands and refreshments. There were more than enough gulls there, with no people around, to keep me happy for a couple of hours.
Such a beautiful walk and images, Barbara. 🙂 I love the beach roses. I miss the marshes and the beach, even though we haven’t been gone that long. I noticed phragmites up here on the mountain the other day and wondered if they’re going to take over the world. I know there are some phragmites that are not invasive, but have no idea how to tell the difference. (Just looked it up. The native grasses are shorter.) I have also seen a few spotted lantern flies. They like to land on my head for some reason.
Thank you, Robin! 🙂 For me it had been about three years since I visited a marsh or a beach in Connecticut and the experience felt surreal, like a dream. I was surprised how much it had changed. The phragmites are so tall they block all the views I was looking forward to seeing again. And the spotted lantern flies kept landing on my sister’s green shirt for some reason. It must have been disconcerting having them land on your head. They’re kind of pretty, but they do so much damage.
I left a comment that included something about lantern flies and phragmites, but it seems to have disappeared so I’ll just keep this one short: Beautiful images, Barbara. I love the beach roses and the laughing gull brings back memories. 🙂
Robin, I’ve had similar things happen with my comments to Barbara. Apparently we just have to wait a little while and then they appear!
Sorry about that glitch, Robin. It keeps happening randomly without rhyme or reason but eventually all comments have shown up within a few hours. Not sure if it has something to do with my son keeping my blog on his server, even though it’s still hosted by WordPress. I have no clue how that works…
Nice to see you got out and about for a visit to your former home state. Lovely details from being by the shore.
Thank you, Karma. It was a surreal experience, being there again after more than three years.
Nice to see the old walking places again, I expect. The sound of the sea, gulls and the salty air is unequalled. 💕
So true, there’s nothing here that equals the feelings I get when walking by the sea. Sigh. 💙
This was a special walk and I can just imagine how much you enjoyed it Barbara. A beach, the gulls you always enjoyed (even if a different species) and you have two naturalists alongside you ensuring you don’t miss a thing. I’m sure your head was on a swivel. I remember how you enjoyed your beach roses and how I asked at Lake Erie Metropark and the Wildlife Refuge if we had them here in SE Michigan and no one knew what I was referring to. I have Swamp Rose Mallows in my post today – they grow in these marshland parks, but they are more in the Hibiscus family than the Rose family. The other wildflowers are also pretty. Even the algae is pretty with its brilliant green. I’ve never seen a Laughing Gull, squabbling or sleeping. 🙂 Google tells me that “they are rare, accidental visitors” so I’ll just have to enjoy yours vicariously.
I’ll have to get over to your blog soon to see those swamp rose mallows! You’re lucky to have such a pretty marsh nearby and I don’t see many phragmites there in your pictures. Are they a problem in your area? My head sure was on a swivel, but sadly, all the interesting information I was taking in from my geologist and botanist went in one ear and out the other. I will never understand how they can retain so much knowledge in those minds of theirs. 🙂 That laughing gull was pretty cute, quietly checking out the people scene. No food being offered, though. 🙂
Oh yes, phragmites are a big problem here and sometimes in the more rural counties where homeowners have lakes or ponds nearby, the phragmites are extremely invasive and their roots get into sewer system, wreaking havoc there as well. They tower over and encroach in all wetland areas. That said, I find their feathery “tops” waving in the wind a nice backdrop for photos and I’m glad I don’t have to deal with them in my backyard. I once had thistle plants as the neighbor threw her old nyger seeds over the fence. The roots grow sideways and it took me years to get rid of them.
Yes, no food for the seagulls. I took pictures of some Canada geese yesterday at Elizabeth Park. I saw two geese with angel wing from eating bread or crackers and one had such a problem with misshapen wings, I don’t know how it could even paddle in the canal without teetering over – for sure it would never fly again.
I don’t see Canada geese around here so much, but then again, I’m not getting out much these days. It is sad when we come across injured birds and wonder what their lives might be like. I hope the goose you saw with the misshapen wings finds a way to survive. Sometimes they can make remarkable adaptations.
The geese have returned from the water, their flight feathers all grown in. I was at Bishop Park once and there was a seagull with a fishing hook in its foot, a long fishing line dangling from it. I contacted the DNR as soon as I got home to ask if they could come and remove it, or take the bird to an avian vet – they said it would work its way out. (I don’t think so, the fish hook was embedded into its foot – poor thing.)
So lovely how you have shared this gallery of intimate looks at the shoreline. So sweet the views of flora, very comforting
Thank you, Barbara. It looked different than how I remembered it, but still a lot was familiar and comforting to see and take in.