Ground Level Pictures

A tract of healthy smooth cordgrass sporting the lush green blades usually seen during the spring and summer months.

A tract of unhealthy, "browned" smooth cordgrass. Well over 100,000 acres would wind up being afflicted across Louisiana's coastal zone.

After the smooth cordgrass dies, it rots and decays, leaving open mud flats like this one behind. Because the root systems that help to bind the soil decay as well, these areas are then easily washed away when inundated by rain or tides.