Surprise Visitors to the Salt Marsh

Kindergarten arrived at Marine Park Salt Marsh shortly after high tide on May 6 - the perfect time to witness horseshoe crabs spawning in the intertidal zone (the section of beach that is exposed during low tide and covered during high tide). The horseshoe crabs we saw that day were encrusted with barnacles and sea snails, one even dragged a clam in tow as it prowled the shallow waters (see "Mysteries and Video Clips" section for a video). The children have been studying sea creatures since early in the school year and they can tell you that horseshoe crabs are not really crabs (they are arthropods) and have been on earth for some 450 million years - so it was exciting to see horseshoe crabs in their element. After our distinguished visitors departed for deeper waters the children continued their explorations of the salt marsh, making new discoveries and finding more ways to direct the flow of water.