Unexpected!

It is obvious from my recent blog postings that I have not been out in my local environment the way I used to be.  Fortunately I have several friends who keep me informed about anything unexpected. Over the last few days I have been hearing about a very large die-off  in the mangroves. This is a  photo sent to me by a friend.

Yesterday morning Sarah offered to go down to the bay side with me so I could see for myself. The bay is still as beautiful as ever but the heavy clouds looked like rain - but it did not rain and we are still as dry as ever. 

The devastation is everywhere! This first photo is taken from the picnic area looking down over the creek.

All the people I talked to think this must have been caused by that hail storm that hit the area on the 11th of October.  (That is more than three months ago.) Sarah went down to the bay the next day and saw lots of damage then - trees stripped of their leaves and lots of leaves and green foliage floating in the water.  But as usual I am left  with more questions than answers. Was there more damage done to some kinds of mangroves than others?  Was the age of the plant/tree a factor? How much can the different kinds of trees rejuvenate?

These leaves are new growth on a Grey Mangrove.

These are close photos showing hail pits on the trunk of a mangrove tree. The first photo was taken soon after the storm when the pits were new and showed the damage with color as well as the pits.

To document most of the damage to the trees I need to be out on my kayak to get up close - and I have not been on the kayak for some time. Still Hoping!

For more scenery from around the world visit  Our World Tuesday