Hurricane
Ike hit Galveston Island in September 2008 with 110 miles per hour winds and a
22-foot storm surge. The city, situated on the east end of the island, was
inundated by six feet of water. On the west end, where countless vacation homes
are located, beachfront homes were destroyed and the dunes swept away.
I was here
two years later and found my favorite beach at the far west end of the island
completely bare. Today I was amazed and delighted to find much of the formerly
empty sand now well stabilized by plant growth. Plant life is essential to dune
stabilization and preservation of the fragile shoreline, so this is very good
news.
These
salt-tolerant plants use marvelous tactics to achieve colonization. In the
foreground above it’s clear how some of the plants spread over a wide area, snaking out in all directions.
Here’s another one with a Christmas color scheme, bearing buds that soon will
open into flowers.
The tide
was out, leaving many sand-dwelling creatures stranded. I couldn’t see them, as
they were buried, but I could see evidence of their homes. Thousands of them
dotted the shoreline.
Some were
indicated by holes.
Some were
indicated by volcano-like rises.
And,
finally, there was a feather, surrounded by tiny bird tracks. (To see the bird tracks clearly, double-click the image.)
The wind
blew fiercely, as it often does on the shore, but I found the walk exhilarating
and reassuring. It’s good to be back.
Copyright
2012 by Shirley Domer
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