At one end of the scale are the plants, such as mangroves, the seeds of which germinate while still attached to the parent tree, the young seedlings dropping off into the mud. The great majority ...

These small, green seeds, which look like lima beans, are essential to the coastal ecosystem. Black mangroves are salt-tolerant trees that thrive in intertidal zones, where freshwater meets seawater.

A far-flung chapter of the Surfrider Foundation is encouraging a community to replant mangroves lost in a powerful hurricane.