A Bit of Beauty in the Marsh!

  Down in the marsh, there are a lot of plants that seem to flourish in the brackish waters.  One of these grows right next to the pier.  It brushes my shoulders each time I pass.  Usually, I am more concerned about any critters that may be hiding among the thick leaves than I am the limbs.  Bees, beetles, ants, spiders and moths all seem to love the bush!  Today, however, I was a bit leery about getting the little tufts of fluff caught in my hair!  As I eased my way off the pier, a flurry of tiny, hairy seeds rose into the air!  It looked like our version of a snow storm.  (Here in the Deep South, we have to use our imaginations to have snow!)

  The Groundsel bush was covered with the white achenes (seed like things) that go flying in all directions at the least disturbance.  I pondered about this bush as I finished my hike up the hillside.  In the spring, blossoms dot the bush but are not significant enough to call notice.  Come fall, however, the bush is a pretty thing with its silvery white fluffs and oval leaves.  Hundreds of the shrubs dot the marsh edges as far as you can see back into the Bayou.  It makes for a beautiful sight!  

  The Groundsel bush is the only eastern species of the aster family to get to tree-size.  It can grow up to twelve feet in height and branches out to be a rather full shrub.  It is tolerant of the salt spray making it a nice ornamental plant for the Coast.  It does have rather weak wood and breaks easily but is fast growing.  If a storm does flatten it, a couple of months later, it is back in place.  I like the Groundsel bushes and their flying tufts.  They bring a bit of brightness to the otherwise drab marsh.