It is interesting to partake of the walks and tours that are offered free at the National Seashore visitor's center.
One of the park rangers lead a group of us on an hours beach walk and introduced us to some of the flora and fauna.
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| some of the grasses and vines that hold the dunes in place |
Padre Island is a barrier island between the Gulf of Mexico and mainland Texas.In the 1800's the island was leased to a cattle rancher but unfortunately the cattle all but decimated the area. When the island was taken over by the park service a lot of work had to be done so the sand didn't blow away.
A lot of things wash up on the beaches. Some things like Cabbage jellyfish which are actually now just called jellies, garbage of all sorts, shells and coral torn up from the ocean bed because of the action of the waves and storms. It all makes for an interesting tour. We saw Mangrove seed pods from Mexico, Hyacinthe pods from Louisiana, tube worm shells, string coral (looks like fishing line), Cochina shells that are tiny and look like angel wings.
We were lucky enough to see a few Ghost Crabs cleaning out their holes. They like to be away from the water but dig down to the cooler sand.
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| this little guy was about 3 inches wide, including claws and was very wary of us |
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| this little one was only 2 inches across and you had to watch closely to see him |
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| not very large compared to this boot track |
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| you have to watch closely to see them because they are the color of the sand |
So much to see and enjoy on these tours. Of course the shore birds are ever present.
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