Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge
ORCA volunteers walk
7 November 2009
Photos and Text by Janice Broda & Bob Montanaro
Page 3 of 3
ORCA volunteers walk
7 November 2009
Photos and Text by Janice Broda & Bob Montanaro
Page 3 of 3
Glasswort (Salicornia sp.) often forms extensive mats along the edges of mosquito control dikes. Pioneers who walked across huge expanses of glasswort in salt marshes called it glasswort because of the sound of it breaking under their feet. This plant is the larval food for the eastern pygmy-blue butterfly (Brephidium isophthalma).
Glasswort (Salicornia sp.) on the left and Saltwort (Batis maritima) on the right are halophytes -- plants that are adapted to grow in areas of high salinity, including saline semi-deserts, seashores, mangrove swamps & marshes. Only 2% of plant species are halophytic.
Pioneers used the fleshy, succulent leaves of Batis martima to pickle or salt food giving rise to the common names pickleweed or saltwort. This plant is a the larval host for great southern white butterflies (Ascia monuste) and possibly the eastern pygmy-blue butterfly (Brephidium isophthalma). It is a nectar source for these and other butterflies.
ABOVE & LEFT: The Joe Michael Memorial Observation Platform allows for views inside the mosquito impoundment that cannot normally be seen from Pete's Impoundment Trail itself.
BELOW: ORCA volunteers on the tour included, from left, Phil & Joan Mercer, Susan Boyd, Bob Bruce, Don Jackson, and Trish White.
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