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Surrounding the mound are wild-looking tufts of marsh grass, a slice of virgin-looking wetland just off the main road.

Day sat on the edge of the shore in the marsh grass.

While technically a horse, the Chincoteague breed is referred to as a pony because of its small size, which scientists believe is the result of its diet of nutritionally poor marsh grass.

In tall marsh grass or wetlands, wear knee-high boots to protect your legs from snakes.

That means the buffers of land, trees and marsh grass that once protected Native American communities from storms in the Gulf have dwindled even as climate change portends a future of stronger, wetter storms.