Salt marshes

Salt marshes

Salt marshes are very special coastal landscapes in the Wadden Sea - and real survival artists, I tell you. You can find them between the mudflats and the dyke, i.e. where the sea spills over during storm surges or very high water levels, but not at every normal high tide.

What makes salt marshes?

Salt marshes are regularly flooded by salt water. Sounds uncomfortable at first, but it is home to plants that can really take a beating. Only so-called salt-tolerant plants grow here, for example:

• samphire

• sea lilac

• beach aster

• Salt grass

They can cope with salt, wind and flooding - true North German hardy plants.

Why are salt marshes so important?

Salt marshes are little all-rounders:

• They provide breeding and resting places for birds such as oystercatchers, redshanks and brent geese

• They are nurseries for many insects

• They act as natural coastal protection because they slow down waves and protect the dyke

• They store CO₂ and thus even help the climate

Salt marshes in the Wadden Sea

Salt marshes are an integral part of the Wadden Sea landscape. They are formed when fine silt settles and plants slowly build up soil. Year after year, they grow a little higher - until they only get wet during storm surges

Am I allowed to walk on salt marshes?

In short: better not. Salt marshes are extremely sensitive. One wrong step can destroy plants and disturb birds. That's why:
👉 Stay on the paths
👉 Pay attention to protected areas
👉 It is better to observe at a distance

Salt marshes are no frills, but a real natural jewel in the Wadden Sea. They protect the coast, provide a habitat and show how cleverly nature copes with low tide, high tide and salt. So: look at them yes - trample them no. This is how the mudflats stay healthy.

Salt marshes on Juist

The Juist salt marshes are the transition from land to water and vice versa. You will find them on the south side of the island, i.e. the side facing the Wadden Sea. The salt marshes between Wilhelmshöhe and the dog-walking area are particularly beautiful and impressive.