
Native beach plants thrive in dune sand their strong roots help hold the sand which in turn, builds the dunes.
Dunes provide a place for sea turtles to lay their eggs. Sea turtles come onto the beach at night to lay their nest. They dig a hole in the sand into which they lay approximately 100 eggs. Each sea turtle lays 5-7 nests about 2 weeks apart between May and October.
A beach with dunes is a healthy beach. Dunes with a diverse planting of shrubby dune plants and sea oats will protect the beach from erosion and protect our streets and houses from storm surge. Sea turtles need a wide sandy beach for their nests. They may lay their eggs high up in the dunes or low down on the beach.
Dunes and dune plants provide a light barrier important for sea turtles. Sea turtles use light as a cue to find their way to the water. Hatchlings travel away from dark shadows and towards the bright horizon over the water. Dunes provide the darkness that sea turtles need to orient towards the light of the horizon over the water. Without dunes and dune vegetation, the sea turtles may travel towards artificial lights of houses and streetlights and not make it to the water.
Sea turtle nests provide important nutrients to dune plants. When sea turtles lay their nests in the dunes, the eggs shells and the unhatched eggs that are left in the nest after the nest has hatched are good sources of nutrients in an otherwise sparse nutrient environment.
For more information on Sea Turtles visit:
Kristen Mazzarella
Executive Director
Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch, Inc.
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