We talked to a young friend from the states visiting family on St. Croix. He showed us this quarter. The night before he had gone with his family on the bioluminescence tour in the Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve and described his delight in the tour seeing the mangrove forests in person! He knew a lot about the mangroves and why they are important to the wildlife. It was wonderful to hear! Now he has his own connection to that amazing habitat through his coin.

Mangroves are very important to wildlife and marine life. According to the National Park Service, magnificent mangroves are flowering trees that live in saltwater or brackish water in mudflats near shorelines. Red Mangroves are the most distinctive, with their complex ariel prop roots. These root systems, when submerged, support a diverse community of sponges, ascidians, algae, corals and crabs.

If you thinking about taking a bioluminescence tour on St. Croix, we recommend you taking a look at Go To St. Croix’s article. It highlights two of the Caribbean’s rare bioluminescent bays at Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve and Altona Lagoon.