A great variety of waders feed in tidal mudflats and the adjacent tidal marshes. They grow rapidly, and in their soils dead plant matter builds up constantly, forming rich deep peats. They are halophytes (“salt-lovers”) and in this wet, nutrient-rich, stable setting they are power-houses of photosynthesis. Like the mangrove trees that often replace them in hotter climes, tidal marsh plants are adapted to grow in waterlogged, often salty soils. They are also among the world’s most productive ecosystems. They line the shores of estuaries and infill the open waters behind barrier islands all across Northern Europe and North America. These strange, level grasslands and shrublands extend around many coasts along the North Atlantic, sometimes in vast plains. This is tidal marsh, sometimes called saltmarsh. On the highest tides the sea covers these marshes…and woe betide you if the fog comes in off the sea – you may only be 100m from dry land, but if you can’t see it, you may well be trapped until the air clears. The occasional wild piping of oystercatchers fills the air, or the haunting echoes of curlews. You can stand in an ecosystem untouched by humans, where a carpet of green – decorated with bright sprays of pink thrift and purple sea lavender – is broken by myriad pools and twisting channels. Not far from some of the most crowded corners of England you can still find wilderness.
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