Duckweed
plants float togetherin still areas where
the current cannot tear them apart. Sometimes
the wind can drive them into inch-deep layers,
but though they
may look like a thick, solid surface, don't try
to walk on them - it just won't work! At the least
pressure the plants just separate and float around
the obstacle.
The current
and the wind move these little plants all over the
marsh, feeding and hiding water dwellers and helping
to filter our drinking water.
Sometimes
people see the thin layer of green that rides the surface
of the marsh and think it is slime.
There
are areas where there IS slime, but most of the time if
you look closer you will see that it is Duckweed instead.
Duckweed
is a huge gathering of tiny, tiny plants. They are like
little tiny lily pads, with long trailing roots that both
hold them upright and filter toxins from the water.
Dipping
the paddle into Duckweed you can see the roots that
trail from each tiny plant.
Duckweed and Water Lettuce float around a Cypress knee.
