Friday, June 8th, 2001, 5:30 AM
Description: Salt Marsh to Mudflats. Visit an environment whose inhabitants endure daily changes of water levels and salinity. See the plants that grow there and consider the food chain they support. Wear shoes for mud, but no wading in deep mud is planned. Binoculars suggested. Meet at the east end of the marina parking lot in Morro Bay State Park.
(Easy) 1 mi., 2 hr.
(Click images below to enlarge. Images are
self-explanatory to an extent, by viewing image names on mouse-over.)
The salt marsh and mudflats that we visited are part of
the Morro Bay estuary, as seen here later that afternoon from Black
Hill 
.
Docent Dr. Curt Beebe 
led this very interesting and educational event, attended by several enthusiastic
participants 
.
We started before sunrise, watching Venus 
,
and then Mars 
fade in the west sky, to a thrilling
sunrise 
.
There were thousands of crabs 
,
a preponderance of pickle weed 
,
arrow grass 
,
and a variety of other interesting 
plant and animal life 
,
including many California horn snails 
and Monterey pines 
...
oh, and more than a few mosquitoes :)
ody>
.
Docent Dr. Curt Beebe 
led this very interesting and educational event, attended by several enthusiastic
participants 
.
We started before sunrise, watching Venus 
,
and then Mars 
fade in the west sky, to a thrilling
sunrise 
.
There were thousands of crabs 
,
a preponderance of pickle weed 
,
arrow grass 
,
and a variety of other interesting 
plant and animal life 
,
including many California horn snails 
and Monterey pines 
...
oh, and more than a few mosquitoes :)