It was a brisk but successful day on the marsh this morning! Coastal Expeditions employees met with Sea Grant to participate in the fun, hands-on, Seeds to Shoreline program. 

If you have ever passed through or by our coastal marsh environment, you have interacted first-hand with the tall grass, Sporobolus alternifolius. This plant shines a vibrant green in the summer and warms the coastline with shades of orange and purple in the winter. This plant is so successful on the shoreline because it can grow in both fresh and salt water! 

This plant not only looks fabulous, but serves many important ecosystem services. For us, the grass works like a sponge to absorb water from tides and storms, protecting our houses inland.

The Seeds to Shoreline program works to restore our coastal environments by collecting Sporobolus seeds, growing them in controlled environments, and replanting them back into the marsh.

Today we started step one: seed collection, and we had a blast! Our CEXy seeds will now spend some time in the fridge as we head off to winter break, and they will come out of hibernation early next year. Could there be a better way to start off 2022?

Keep an eye out for our CEXy seed updates as we work our way through the Seeds to Shoreline program. If you are interested in participating or know a school group or community program that this would be a perfect fit for this activity, reach out to us or Elizabeth Bell at Sea Grant [elizabeth.bell@scseagrant.org]. 

Be wilder! Love your coastal environment.
-Sophie Kruetz, Coastal Expeditions Naturalist Guide