The Daily Bucket is a regular series from the Backyard Science group. Here we talk about Mother Nature in all her glory, especially the parts that live nearby. So let us know (as close as you are comfortable) where you are and what's going on around you. What's the weather like? Seen any interesting plants, bugs or critters? Are there birds at your feeders? Deer, foxes or peahens in your yard? Seen any cool rocks or geological features? Post your observations and notes here. And photos. We like lots of photos. :)
Photos from my recent walk along a mangrove shore in St Pete FL:
Mangrove beach.
The obligatory postcard shot.
A White Ibis poking around in the tidal mudflat.
These mud glops are from invertebrates hiding underneath the sand at low tide.
A mussel attached to a broken piece of oyster shell.
Seaweed anchored in the sand.
Molted exoskeleton from a Horseshoe Crab.
The mangrove trees reproduce when these buds turn into long "propagules" which fall into the water and float away, rooting themselves wherever they land.
A tangle of mangrove prop roots. These provide shelter for fish and invertebrates, and also trap sand and sediment to build up new shoreline.
Fiddler Crabs. They live a short distance away from the high-tide line, in burrows that reach the water table to allow them to wet their gills when needed.
A Boxfish which someone caught and, for some reason known only to themselves, tossed up on the shore to die.
And now it is your turn--let us know what's going on in your neck of the woods. :)