What was a swamp of dead, fallen trees now offers wooden walkways winding through plantings of iris, sneezeweed, boltonia, cardinal flower, goldenrod, rudbeckia, ironweed, tall meadow rue, cedar, red and sweetbay and American elm. Bill uses the trees in the winter botany course he teaches. So far, Bill sees no frogs or turtles in the stagnant freshwater bog, but he does frequently sight herons and kingfishers there. He envisions children learning science lessons as they catch aquatic animals along the sandy beach and botany lessons as they wander among the plants. Round flower heads appear on buttonbush.
Pickerelweed produces purple flowers.
Children would love it. The Teaching Marsh, a new educational resource on the Gloucester Point campus of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science is open by appointment only. VIMS welcomes volunteers to help with the marsh and other educational programs. Contributors to the teaching marsh include the Garden Club of Gloucester, Owens Foundation, Sassafras Farm and Second Nature Landscaping.