Looking for something not at all Halloween-related to do on Halloween? How about a high marsh planting with Tampa Bay Watch? TBW has partnered with the Southwest Florida Water Management District to plant something called paspalum. What the hell is paspalum, you ask? It's a salt-tolerant turfgrass that handles heat and saltwater well.

The Rock Ponds is the "largest coastal ecosystem restoration project in Tampa Bay," according to Tampa Bay Watch. At one time, the area was used for agriculture and shell mining but now is partly filled and redesigned. The redesign means it now offers two miles of shore along Tampa Bay, and the point of planting this turfgrass is to help maintain separation between freshwater and brackish ecosystems.

Tampa Bay Watch Rock Ponds planting | Rock Ponds, 4235 Lavender Road, Ruskin | Oct. 31: 9 a.m.-12 p.m. | Click here to register for Tampa Bay Watch's Halloween planting

This article appears in Oct 25 – Nov 1, 2018.