Before you lies a gravel bank which has its own specialized habitat in this area influenced by the tides. Because an estuary's banks are wet only part of the time, plants such as quillwort and bur marigold can adapt to this unique condition. The trail you are walking is actually on a levee that was constructed from dredge spoils primarily for flood control. Large pipes lie under and through this levee, and on your left are ditches that were dug to allow trapped waters to reach the pipes and drain into the river at low tide. When the tide rises, flood gates on the river side of the pipes close and keep the riverwater from coming back inside the bank.