With the proximity to two international airports and seaports, northeastern New Jersey is crowded with rail yards, shipping terminals, and industrial complexes. The sceneries alongside the main arteries, namely NJ Turnpike and the rail lines, are harsh and disorderly. Coexisting yet contrasting to this man-made chaos were vast wetlands, alongside Hackensack and Passaic Rivers, as well as the ocean shores.[1] Pleasant to the eyes, these marshes are also important habitats for fish, amphibians, and migrating birds.
In summertime, reeds and shrubs extend thick carpets from higher grounds into the water, soft and moist. On sunny days, their deep green color, shiny and vibrant, makes the river seemingly cooler. Geese, swans, and ducks float leisurely on the open water, diving swiftly from time to time for their catches. Turtles line up on top of deadwood sunbathing. Egrets rest low among the reeds or high on some branches, like spontaneous polka dots on an impressionist painting.
Later in the season, reed flowers will take over the palette, first adding reddish brown on top of jade green, then gradually turning tan and, finally, ashy grey. Under autumn sun, their silky brushes wave in celebratory golden hues. They spread out inviting soft beds for south-bound birds on their international journeys. Even after the unavoidable winter freeze, they strive to stand tall and make their marks.
As a child, I read about the melancholy beauty of reed flowers in Chinese poetry. Although there were tall weeds with feathery flowers in Taiwan, I was told that true reeds didn’t grow on the island. I always dreamt of seeing them someday. Now, having watched them repeating their growing cycles, year after year, I am still fascinated by them.
Similarly, I am captivated by marshlands. To me, their vastness embodies unrestrainable spirits. Yet, at the same time, under the cover of thick vegetation, they harbor so many mysteries. Watching the tides rise and fall on the marshes, I always wonder how far the saltwater reaches inland and where the freshwater ends. Having been caught between cultures for most of my life, I always want to know if some fish are living happily in brackish water.
[1] New_Jersey_Meadowlands Wiki,
Environmental-effects-shore-protection: Raritan-Bay-Meadowlands.pdf