I saw this birch tree by the tidal wetlands. I can't really say it was doing anything, I mean it's a tree so it was just chillin' , photosynthesizing. As for it's ecological role in the wetland, it provides a nesting and resting place for birds. It's roots also provide some stability for the soil by holding it in place. The most interesting thing I saw was the red tailed hawk we got to see it catch some food, which was really cool. I don't know that this field trip drastically changed my perspective on these types of areas, because I realize that they are very important to the water system, but I liked seeing how close these areas are, and how each one is very different. The Edmonds marsh was behind a business park, but Spencer island was only a short drive away and it felt like you were in the middle of nowhere, so it's pretty cool how different yet important these areas are. One question that came up during the visit was if places like Spencer island or the Edmonds marsh were not there what would be the impacts on our water system, water quality, and the pacific northwest in general.
I like how you just put a picture of a tree as your photo. They may seem to not be doing much, but they are in fact, contributing a lot to the environment. Especially a tree as big as this one, like you said. I'm sure lots of birds and other small animals are grateful for trees like this in the area.
ReplyDeleteChillin' 😎and photosynthesizin' 🌞🌱- that's there thing... I am glad the estuary is there but we see lots of places that are impacted because of little wetland area between industry & the puget sound, like the Duwamish for example,🙈
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