This is part of a large flock that flew over us this morning in Cedar Key while we were on our daily walk. These huge birds winter by the hundreds in Suwannee Sound.
The plant in the photo above is groundsel bush Baccharis halimifolia, and the one below is saltwater false willow Baccharis angustifolia. These close relatives have similar seeds with silvery threads that help with wind dispersal. They both are able to grow in wet places, but the false willow grows only in wetlands and is apparently more tolerant of salinity. What is interesting about the plants in the accompanying photos is that they are growing side by side on the edge of a salt marsh near Cedar Key, with their leaves actually touching.
