Special offer

Sea Oats

By
Real Estate Agent with Pine Knoll Shores Realty NCRE# 242843

Sea oats  are a type of tall beach grass, named for its grain-like seeds, that grows along the East coast of the United States, Mexico,  and on Carribean Islands.  Sea oats are a protected grass in most states along the East Coast, including North Carolina.

Sea oats prefer moist, sandy soil as well as lots of sunlight. They also love the salty sea air found on the Crystal Coast of North Carolina.  They play an important role in our ecological system by stabilizing our sand dunes. They form and maintain the dunes by trapping sand. Its system of long,underground roots and stems reduce erosion. Without sea oats to anchor the dunes, the sand would just blow away. Dunes provide a natural barrier against storm surges and high winds during severe weather as well as habitats for animals such as loggerhead sea turtles and birds. Sea oats are tough and can survive constant exposure to wind-blown sand, saltwater, heat, drought and nutrient poor soil. However, it cannot withstand people walking on it.


When visiting the beaches of North Carolina, please protect our Sea Oats by not picking them or stepping on them.  They truly are a very important part of our environment.

 

Comments (3)

Marian Goetzinger
Pine Knoll Shores Realty 252-422-9000 - Pine Knoll Shores, NC
Crystal Coast Real Estate NC

Amy,  Thanks for the reminder.  Sometimes it breaks my heart when I see visitors to our area gathering sea oats, tearing down dunes and tossing trash out their car windows.  It seems that those of us who live here are much more gentle to our environment.  Blogs like this may help educate people.  Beautiful pictures.

Mar 28, 2009 12:16 AM
LYDIA LAMOREUX
ZipRealty - Volente, TX

Amy,

Thanks for the thoughtful post. I didn't realize how important sea oats are to coastal ecology. Nice photos.

Mar 28, 2009 08:17 AM
Tony Orefice
NorthGroup Real Estate/www.TonyORealtor.com - Concord, NC
Realtor- Cabarrus County, NC

See Amy, just goes to show ya...everything has a purpose, even if it's big or small.

Mar 28, 2009 04:21 PM