The Making of Marsh Mats

  A couple of days ago, Tropical Storm Olga decided that we need a bit of stirring up.  Perhaps we were getting complacent and she thought it best to visit.  Yes, I know the storm supposedly went in west of here but tell that to the Bayou.  Things were rockin' and rollin' for a short while.  Other than ripping boards from the pier and bringing a few limbs down, the storm did little damage .  What it did do was clean the marsh.

  The nutria rats adore munching marsh roots.  So much so that they eat entire flats.  The marsh grass, itself, is laid to the wayside.  Since no one is going to go rake the marsh, the dead reeds become entangled in the live plants and start getting things totally clogged.  It takes a bit of high tide and gusty winds to clean the place a bit.  This is good as it also brings in any trash that thoughtless people toss in the water.  It is a bad thing as that all winds up in my front yard.  

  This afternoon while I was on the pier checking how many planks were lost, I noticed the huge mounds of dead marsh grass that had been tossed and turned by the storm.  These "mats" will house a lot of critters this winter.  The thatched roofs will provide protection and warmth for snakes, otters, spiders, shorebirds, nutrias and, of course, mice and rats.  A myriad of other critters will call the mats home, as well. What the nutrias started by trimming the marsh, the storm finished by transforming the chaff into tightly woven mats.  Rather neat when you think about it.  Mother Nature's got this!