June Grass

[TreeFrog]

Seeing the June Grass during my beach walk this AM led to searches in Dogpile and Google. Here are a few high points:

-The proper name for June Grass is Cladophora. Your search engine will have better results with cladophora.
-June Grass is an algae bloom. Throw in a little Red Tide and we're 2/3 of the way to an algae Italian flag.
-It grows in saltwater and freshwater
-The Gulf doesn't have a monopoly. Lake Michigan has an increase in June Grass since zebra mussels invaded there. Seems the zebra mussels filtered formerly murky water, allowing more light to enter, fostering the June Grass.
-It's a present in aquariums too. Aquarium people call it "Green Hair"
-It is supposed to help beach renourishment. It washes ashore and the sand sticks to it as it dries, helping the sand build up.
-As you might expect, it provides a habitat for small shrimp and other little creatures
-It seems to thrive in areas where there are sewer or irrigation outflows. More nutrients in that sort of water. Maybe the outflows from our dune lakes help foster it?
-Despite the name, some years it can last all summer. I'm sure long-time SoWalers can offer insight that I don't have on this, having only been here 2 years. Dogpile found an article from Ft. Walton where it was still around in August.

 

[Lady D]

:clap_1: Very interesting TreeFrog! I say hooray for the June grass if it is responsible for renourishment of the beach! If that is the case, I hope the June grass is all over the washed away area of beach where we rent. Half of the width of the beach is gone. I welcome any help in it being renourished!

 

[Smiling JOe]

:clap_1: Very interesting TreeFrog! I say hooray for the June grass if it is responsible for renourishment of the beach! If that is the case, I hope the June grass is all over the washed away area of beach where we rent. Half of the width of the beach is gone. I welcome any help in it being renourished!

This is who is really responsible for the beach nourishment.

 

[Jdarg]

I was at the liquor store stocking up (it's ugly) and the booze rep that was hanging out said he was in PCB last week and "the green seaweed was jes turrible". He informed me that I would hate it.

He obviously doesn't know me. What a pansy.

 

[Smiling JOe]

I was over that way this morning and PCB has June Grass, but it is a little more concentrated off the beach rather than in the break like it is here at the moment. I say, just fagidabodit or use it as a way to connect you to the earth and remind you that the summer is approaching and that you are at the beach, not at work. ;-)

 

[Mermaid]

I was at the liquor store stocking up (it's ugly) and the booze rep that was hanging out said he was in PCB last week and "the green seaweed was jes turrible". He informed me that I would hate it.

He obviously doesn't know me. What a pansy.

jdarg, we can have seaweed fights on the beach. That's what my kids did years ago. They built sand forts and lobbed gobs and gobs of the green stuff at each other. It was a hoot watching them go at. I say, let's revive the tradition!!

 

[Jdarg]

jdarg, we can have seaweed fights on the beach. That's what my kids did years ago. They built sand forts and lobbed gobs and gobs of the green stuff at each other. It was a hoot watching them go at. I say, let's revive the tradition!!

We can recreate the "SEE-weed" picture- one of us can show the other "where the seaweed went" and everyone can snap our picture!!:funn: :funn:

 

[peapod1980]

jdarg, we can have seaweed fights on the beach. That's what my kids did years ago. They built sand forts and lobbed gobs and gobs of the green stuff at each other. It was a hoot watching them go at. I say, let's revive the tradition!!

It's good for the skin, isn't it? We can look at it as a spa treatment!

 

[aquaticbiology]

a few years ago i read somewhere that the indians used it as fertilizer so i gathered some and tried it out - made my tomatoes grow better and helped the soil to hold water - just wash it first since its maybe a little too salty right out of the ocean

best kept secret on the panhandle since its so needed for beach restoration

 

[Jdarg]

a few years ago i read somewhere that the indians used it as fertilizer so i gathered some and tried it out - made my tomatoes grow better and helped the soil to hold water - just wash it first since its maybe a little too salty right out of the ocean

best kept secret on the panhandle since its so needed for beach restoration

I'll bring some gallon size baggies and haul some home!