6th shot from the trip Julia and I took a couple of weeks ago to Navarre Beach, Florida. This is a close-up of a Gulf Coast Sea Oat (Uniola paniculata). It's a semitropical perennial that dominates beach and dune communities of the Gulf Coast and in other tropical/sub tropical regions. It's a beautiful tall, erect grass whose leaves grow 20-40 cm (8-16 inches) in length, and approximately 0.6 cm (1/4 inch) in width. Leaves are thin and taper into pointed tips. Plants grow 1-2 meters tall (6 feet) with individual leaf blades reaching approximately 60 cm (24 inches). The seed heads (shown here) are large, and become a yellow-brown, straw color in late summer. Its growth functions to trap wind-blown sands that eventually mound to begin dune formation. Bunches of them blowing in the wind together are a sight to behold! After the hurricane destruction of the last 10 to 15 years, the Sea Oats were damn near depleted, and the giant sand dunes I remember as a child were gone as well. But restoration has begun, and a crucial, if not the most important element is the replanting of Sea Oats. In many areas humans are not allowed to enter until the newly planted Sea Oats have taken hold. And don't you dare get caught cutting some to take home. You'll be shot on sight. Deservingly so. marshall