Living Beaches of the Gulf Coas

426 Pages·2022·60.318 MB·English

by  Blair and Dawn Witherington

LIVING BEACHES
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LIVING BEACHES
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A Beachcomber’s Guide
Including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama,
and Florida’s Panhandle
Blair and Dawn Witherington
Pineapple Press
Palm Beach, Florida
Photos Not Captioned
Front Cover Front Flap, Willet
Main: Hatchling loggerhead sea turtle Fly Page, Boca Chica, Texas
Insets: Title Page, Long-billed curlew
Sharkeye moonsnail
p. 1, Wave ripples
Lined sea star
p. 49, American oystercatcher
Spotted ground squirrel
p. 269, Seaoats and beach croton
American oystercatcher
p. 347, Mineral sands
Texas pricklypear cactus
p. 363, Galveston storm memorial
Back Cover, Common sundials p. 404, Sanderling
An imprint of Globe Pequot, the trade division of
The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
An imprint of Globe Pequot,
4501 Forbes Blvd., Ste. 200
the trade division of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
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Distributed by NATIONAL BOOK NETWORK
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Text, photographs, and illustrations copyright © 2022 by Blair and Dawn Witherington
Distributed by NATIONAL BOOK NETWORK
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or
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from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any elec-
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
tronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without
wLirbirttaerny opfe Crmonisgsrieosns Cfraotamlo tghine gp-uinb-lPisuhbelirc, aetxiocenp Dt abtya a reviewer who may quote passages in a
review.
Names: Witherington, Blair E., 1962- author. | Witherington, Dawn, author.
Title: Living beaches of the Gulf Coast : a beachcomber’s guide including Texas, Louisiana,
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Mississippi, Alabama and Florida’s Panhandle / Blair and Dawn Witherington.
Description: Sarasota, Florida : Pineapple Press, 2022. | Includes bibliographical references and
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
index. | Summary: “Includes beach anatomy, phenomena, beach animals, plants, minerals. Also
includes man-made structures (i.e. lighthouses and other historical structures), and beach art.
Suggested beach scavenger hunts and hints for success. There is a section on conservation. Finally,
there is a section on resources and suggested reading”— Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021053944 (print) | LCCN 2021053945 (ebook) | ISBN 9781683340560
(paperback) | ISBN 9781683340577 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Beaches—Gulf Coast (U.S.)—Guidebooks. | Coastal ecology—Gulf Coast (U.S.)—
Guidebooks. | Gulf Coast (U.S.)—Guidebooks.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American
Classification: LCC GB459.4 .W57 2022 (print) | LCC GB459.4 (ebook) | DDC 551.45/70976—
National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library
dc23/eng/20211208
LMCa rteecroiarlds ,a vAaNilaSbIl/eN atI ShOttp Zs:3//9lc.4cn8.-l1o9c.9g2o.v/2021053944
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021053945
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National
Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/
NISO Z39.48-1992.

contents
Contents
Acknowledgments ........................................................... vii
Top Forty Living Beaches .................................................... viii
Introduction ................................................................ ix
Guide Organization ........................................................... x
Beach Features
What are Beach Features?.................................................... 2
Beach Anatomy ............................................................ 3
Beach Profiles ............................................................. 6
Beach Lifespans ............................................................ 7
Dunes and Coppice Mounds ................................................. 9
Salt Pruning .............................................................. 11
Swales and Dune Lakes .................................................... 12
Ridges, Runnels, and Lagoons .............................................. 13
Saltmarsh, Oyster Reef, and Outcroppings of Peat and Clay ..................... 14
Sand Layers and Shell Pavement............................................. 15
Wrack Lines .............................................................. 16
Rhythmic Shorelines....................................................... 18
Scarps and Slipfaces ....................................................... 19
Plant Arcs, Wind Ripples, Pedestals, and Harrow Marks ........................ 20
Wave and Current Ripples .................................................. 21
Rills and Rivulets.......................................................... 22
Swash and Backwash ...................................................... 23
Antidunes, Crescent Marks, and Hard and Mushy Sand ........................ 24
Dark Sands ............................................................... 25
Beach Squeaks and Shell Hash .............................................. 26
Bubble Holes, Blisters, Pits, and Volcanoes ................................... 27
Sea Foam ................................................................ 28
Sand Erosion ............................................................. 29
Sand Accretion ........................................................... 30
Retreating Beaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Blowouts and Overwash.................................................... 32
Sandbars ................................................................. 33
Tides .................................................................... 34
Waves and Surf ........................................................... 35
Nearshore Currents........................................................ 36
Offshore Currents ......................................................... 38
Beach Weather ............................................................ 39
Tropical Cyclones and Northers ............................................. 41
Hurricane Strikes.......................................................... 42
The Dead Zone and Red Tide ............................................... 43
Water Color .............................................................. 44
Inlets, Passes, and Cuts..................................................... 45
Barrier Islands ............................................................ 46
Capes, Spits, and Shoals .................................................... 47
Beaches at Night .......................................................... 48
v
contents
Beach Animals and Microbes
What Are Beach Microbes? ................................................. 50
Bacteria and Forams ....................................................... 51
What are Beach Animals? .................................................. 52
Swash Meiofauna ......................................................... 53
Sponges .................................................................. 54
Jellylike Animals .......................................................... 58
Floating Hydralike Animals ................................................ 61
Hydroids ................................................................. 63
Sea Pansy ................................................................ 65
Soft Corals ............................................................... 66
Sea Anenomes ............................................................ 68
Stony Corals .............................................................. 69
Shell Anatomy ............................................................ 70
Gastropods ............................................................... 71
Bivalves ................................................................. 108
Micro Shells ............................................................. 144
Scaphopods ............................................................. 146
Cephalopods ............................................................ 147
Shell Color Variation ..................................................... 148
Mollusk Bits and Pieces ................................................... 149
Shell Wars (Shell Bioerosion) .............................................. 150
How Shells Come to Be ................................................... 151
Bryozoans ............................................................... 152
Worms ................................................................. 154
Crustaceans ............................................................. 158
Horseshoe Crab .......................................................... 177
Insects .................................................................. 178
Echinoderms ............................................................ 185
Tunicates ............................................................... 192
Fishes .................................................................. 194
Reptiles ................................................................. 203
Birds ................................................................... 214
Land Mammals .......................................................... 258
Marine Mammals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Vertebrate Parts .......................................................... 267
Beach Plants and Fungi
What Are Beach Plants? ................................................... 270
Plant Anatomy and Leaf Shape ............................................. 271
Dune Plants—Grasses and Sedges .......................................... 272
Dune Plants—Yuccas and Palms ........................................... 279
Dune Plants—Other Monocots ............................................ 281
Dune Plants—Herbs and Flowers .......................................... 283
Dune Plants—Woody Shrubs and Trees ..................................... 304
Marine Plants—Algae .................................................... 310
Marine Plants—Seagrasses ................................................ 316
Seabeans and Drift Seeds .................................................. 318
Plant Parts and Fungi ..................................................... 342
vi
contents and acknowledgments
Beach Geology
What Is Beach Geology? .................................................. 348
Sediments and Rocks ..................................................... 349
Fossils................................................................... 358
What’s Under a Gulf Beach? ............................................... 360
Gulf Beaches Over Time .................................................. 361
School of Rock .......................................................... 362
Hand of Man
What Have We Had a Hand In? ............................................ 364
Beach Shrines and Beach Art .............................................. 365
Metal, Drugs, and Dunnage ............................................... 366
Boat Parts ............................................................... 367
Beacons, Sondes, and Fish Tags ............................................ 368
Military Flares and Sonobuoy .............................................. 369
Buoys .................................................................. 370
Petroleum Industry ....................................................... 372
Fishing Discards ......................................................... 375
Messages from the Past.................................................... 382
Sea Heroes (Drift Toys) and Seaglass........................................ 383
Balls and Nurdles ........................................................ 384
Container Seals and Packaging ............................................. 385
Yarn Cones, Plastic Confetti, and Plastic Knots ............................... 386
Mystery Plastics and Wax ................................................. 387
Fireworks, Balloons, and Hunting Discards .................................. 388
Bite Marks on Litter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Beach Grooming, Driving, and Sand Fences ................................. 390
Coastal Armoring ........................................................ 391
Groynes, Breakwaters, and Jetties .......................................... 392
Artificial Nourishment ................................................... 393
Historic Structures ....................................................... 394
Conservation ............................................................ 397
Beach Quests ............................................................... 400
The Future of Gulf Beaches .................................................. 402
Resources, Suggested Reading, and Photo Credits ............................... 405
Index...................................................................... 406
Acknowledgments
For contributions, reviews, and advice we are indebted to Kraig Anderson, Roger
Birkhead, Dennis Bonal, Mike and Sam Burnett, Ryan Chabot, Donna Lee Crawford,
Robert Deans, Carly DeMay, Kevin Edwards, the Gulf Specimen Marine Lab, Cullen
Hanks, Shigetomo Hirama, Ashleigh Holden, the Houston Museum of Natural Science,
Steve Johnson, Gary Kidder, Kim Matheny, Adrienne McCracken, Kate McElvaney, D.J.
McNeil, Kim Mohlenoff, the Padre Island National Seashore, Ed Perry, Tina Petway,
Steven Pinker, Tom Pitchford, Terry Ross, the Schauman Family, Donna Shaver, Derke
Snodgrass, the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network, Jace Tunnell, and Ryan Welsh.
vii
top forty living beaches
Top Forty Living Beaches of Texas and the Northern Gulf
Every Gulf beach has life, but some beaches stand out as splendid examples of natural
processes free to run their course. These are not beaches devoid of humans (many are
among the most visited shores). But they are beaches where our influence has been more
casual than insistent. In geographic order a list includes:
PINS = Padre Island National Seashore
SP = State Park
NWR = National Wildlife refuge
MISSISSIPPI ALABAMA
FLORIDA
LOUISIANA
2222 2244 2266 2288 3300
3333
TEXAS 2233 2299 3311 4400
1122114411115566 1177 2211 2255 2277 3322 33443355 337733883399
11001111 1133 1188 1199 2200 3366
88 99
66 77
55 Gulf of Mexico
44
33
22
11 12. Galveston Island SP 27. Bon Secour NWR Beach
MEXICO 13. South Bolivar Peninsula 28. East Perdido Key
14. McFaddin NWR 29. Gulf Islands National
15. Sea Rim SP Seashore
1. Boca Chica SP 16. Texas Point NWR 30. Eglin Beach Park
2. Brazos Island SP 17. East Holly Beach 31. Henderson Beach SP
3. Padre Island, South 18. Elmer’s Island Wildlife 32. Topsail Hill Preserve SP
4. Padre Island, North and Refuge 33. Grayton Beach SP
Malaquite Beach (PINS) 19. Grand Isle SP 34. St. Andrews SP and
5. Mustang Island SP 20. Grand Terre Island Shell Island
6. San José Island 21. Chandeleur Islands 35. Crooked Island
7. Matagorda Island 22. West Pass Christian 36. St. Joe Peninsula SP
8. Greek Island Beach 37. St. Vincent Island
9. Matagorda Bay Nature 23. Deer Island 38. Cape St. George and St.
Park and Matagorda 24. Cat, Ship, Horn, and George Island SP
Beach Petit Bois Islands 39. Dog Island
10. San Bernard NWR 25. West Dauphin Island 40. Alligator Point and
11. Follett’s Island Beach 26. Fort Morgan Beach Bald Point SP
viii