From the Marsh: Oysters

From the Marsh: Oysters

Welcome back to the marsh!  Today, we are exploring one of the most important organisms that call these places home, oysters! The Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea virginica, is a bivalve in the mollusc phylum. Oysters are one of the most commercially important species in...
From the Marsh: Wild Celery

From the Marsh: Wild Celery

Welcome back to the marsh!   Today, we are going to dive a little bit deeper (pardon the pun!) and explore the subtidal zone (fresh water and non-tidal) in the James. Specifically, we are going to examine a plant that is crucial to maintaining good water quality and...
From the Marsh: Springtime Animals

From the Marsh: Springtime Animals

Welcome back to the marsh! As the chill of winter departs, many of our familiar plants and animals are beginning to return, ready to become active again during the warm weather. Today, we will discuss several animals that you can expect to see in marshes this spring....
From the Marsh: Meet the Mummichog

From the Marsh: Meet the Mummichog

Welcome back to the marsh! Today we will be examining one of the smaller fish that call our tidal marshes home, the mummichog! Mummichogs, Fundulus heteroclitus, are a very common species of killifish that can be found in the James River watershed from Richmond to...
From the Marsh: Snowy Egret

From the Marsh: Snowy Egret

It’s cold, gray, and rainy here at the marsh! What is the best marsh creature to talk about during the holidays? Why, snowy egret, of course! Snowy egrets are one of the many species of heron that spends at least part of the year in marshes throughout the James River...