Growing Up By Christa Joy

Plants are an important part of saltwater and freshwater life.

They provide food for the fish and animals that live there.

Plants also provide protection from predators.

But the plants you find in and near the ocean are often different than plants you find in and near rivers and lakes.

Seaweed is a plant you find growing in the ocean.

Seaweed is a plant, but has no stem, roots or leaves!

Seaweed does not need soil to grow, but it does need the sun.

Kelp is very similar to seaweed and also grows in the salty ocean.

Kelp and seaweed help hide small fish and animals from bigger fish that may want to eat them.

Kelp and seaweed also provide a tasty meal to many fish and animals that live in the sea.

There are also grasses that live in and near the ocean.

Dune grass lives in the sandy hills on the shoreline.

Dune grass helps protect the sand and keeps it from blowing away.

Many small animals live and hide in the dune grass as well.

Dune grass is very fragile. We need to stay off of it.

What about other bodies of water?

Water lilies are a plant that likes to grow on top of the freshwater of ponds and lakes.

Water lilies send their stems all the way down to the muddy bottom.

The leaves of the water lily, or lily pads, make great resting places for small animals and insects.

Cattails are another plant that likes to live around freshwater.

The brown tops of the cattails are actually its flowers.

Many birds and some animals use parts of the cattail to make its nest.

Duckweed is another common plant you find on floating on the top of lakes and ponds.

Duckweed has no leaves or stems.

Duckweed is an important food source for birds and fish that live near freshwater.

Without plants, the fish and animals that live in saltwater and freshwater would not survive.

Plants are very important.