Sea Oats and Sand Dunes

I walked to the beach last night just to look at the ocean. The breeze made it feel pleasant despite the warm temperature. From my position at the top of the stairs leading to the beach, I had a great view of the ocean. As I watched, I couldn’t help but notice the sea oats swaying in the wind along the beach.

Some of the sea oats that I saw were planted after hurricanes Frances and Jean in 2004 by members of a condominium association to protect their property. Others were propagated naturally. Sea oats grow long roots that help give the dunes stability. During recent years I have watched some of the sea oats trap the sand that the winds carry and begin to form dunes.

One picture shows sea oats relatively close up for those who don’t get to the beach and may not know what they look like. Another picture shows the sea oats growing by vegetations that is commonly known as sea grapes. The picture looking up the beach shows little patches of sea oats growing in front of the main dunes.