Edmonds Marsh

I believe this mushroom here is known as Armillaria. I saw this fungi among many others of the same species in the dirt along the sidewalk near the edge of the marsh. The mushroom was not doing anything, nothing visible to me at least. As far as I know, mushrooms don't move much. I believe the role of this mushroom in the marsh is decomposition. It removes waste and provides nutrients in the marsh, for plants to grow in the soil.

One interesting thing I saw at the marsh was all the different bird species, especially the blue heron. I have seen plenty of herons in my lifetime, but it is always such a rare sight to see such a large bird like that, let alone two. To me, it seems that the amount of different species in such a small area is overlooked. It is all the more reason to preserve what little of the marsh is left. I also never quite realized the importance of the fresh and salt water habitats coming together like that in the marsh. One question that I have is, how has it been so easy for people in the past to build over the marsh when it is so obviously abundant with life? I think we could have done a much better job of preserving these environments. It seem obviously important to the ecosystem. Just build in the other direction maybe?

- Justin Kusar