Tag Archives: NEW ENGLAND COASTAL PLANTS

PIPING PLOVER FAMILY ALL THREE PRESENT AND ACCOUNTED FOR!

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Good Morning PiPl Ambassadors!

All three family members were present, the chick feeding on insects up by the Sea-rocket at the base of the dune in the roped off area, and parents taking turns minding the chick or foraging at the water’s edge.

The new beach raker was there, and he was great!! He entered the beach at the snack bar, stayed at that end, and then drove to the Creek but stopped to ask if we were taking care of the trash at the east end. Yes I said and we are happy to do it. So thankful for his consideration!

We have a new ambassador. I met Duncan last week and he has an interest in the PiPls well being. Duncan and his wife Sarah have a summer home on Salt Island Road. He is taking Shelby’s shift from 7 to 8am and Shelby is moving to 6 to 7pm so it all worked out very nicely. Thank you so much Duncan and welcome 🙂

Thanks again so much to everyone for all your help with our GHB PiPls.
xxKim

Piping Plover Chick Morning Stretches Routine – with beautiful tiny wing buds

In the above photo you can see the chick’s teeny tongue lapping up insects found on Sea-rocket. See article about Sea-rocket here

SEA-ROCKET!

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What is that wonderful succulent yet scrubby-looking green plant we see growing on our local beaches? You are most likely looking at American Sea-rocket (Cakile edentula). Named for its rocket-shaped berries, Sea-rocket is a native annual. It grows in dry sand and is pollinated by beetles, moths, butterflies, flies, and bees. The edible flowers and peppery, succulent leaves, which taste somewhat like horseradish, attract myriad species of tiny insects as well.

Sea-rocket reseeds itself each year all around New England beaches and thrives in the poor medium of dry sand, above the high tide line. In springtime, along the Massachusetts coastline, you will see tiny shoots emerging and by early summer the multi-branching plant can grow two feet wide and equally as tall.

Throughout the Piping Plover’s time spent at Good Harbor Beach, Sea-rocket is an important plant, providing shade on hot summer days, protection from the wind, and attracts a smorgasbord of insects that both the adults and tiniest of chicks depend upon for their diets.

Piping Plover chicks and adults forage for small insects at Sea-rocket.

SEA-ROCKET GROWTH PROGRESSION-

The first photo was taken on April 6, 2019. You can see that there is no vegetation growing in the roped off area.

The second photo was taken about one month later, at the time our mated Piping Plover pair began nesting. Notice the tiny shoots of Sea-rocket beginning to emerge.

The third photo was taken during the second week of July. Look how beautifully the Sea-rocket is growing in the roped off area.The fourth photo shows the same area after the PiPl refuge was dismantled and the Sea-rocket raked over.Three Piping Plover chicks finding shelter beneath the Sea-rocket foliage.