Salt Marsh on Wings Island
When we arrived at Wings Island we had lunch at picnic tables next to the Museum of Natural History. Then we met two naturalists, Eric and Lee, who would be our guides. We broke up into two groups and I went in the group with Eric. Then Eric led us down a path in the woods, pointing out different plants as we went along. He said that proportionally if the Appalachian Mountains were 40 years old the Cape would be 1 hour old and that it would die in another hour! We soon came to a part where the woods abruptly ended and the ground was covered with dry sticks and grass. A boardwalk led across it. He explained that this part was sometimes covered by the ocean during spring tides. After crossing this section there were woods again. In a clearing in the woods there were nine stones in a circle. He told us that you could tell the time of year from which way the shadows were pointing at noon. Soon we came to a beach. In the distance Piping Plovers were pecking at the sand. He said that they were probably searching for Horseshoe Crab eggs. Sure enough we came across two Horseshoe Crabs mating in the sand. They looked like they were dead because they weren't moving. When he picked one up we could tell it was alive because it kicked its legs. On the way back he showed us some huge rocks which he said the glacier dragged from Maine and Nova Scotia. Then we went on the buses and headed for Provincetown.
