Vegetating the old beach at Elwha

I was struck this morning, during my monthly shoreline survey on the Elwha River delta, by the profusion of what I presume is Beach Pea (Lathyrus japonicus) growing directly on top of what was, just a few years ago, the active beach face east of the Elwha River mouth. Check out this before/after series from a site just a few hundred meters east of the Elwha River mouth:

There is also some alder and American Dunegrass (Leymus mollis) in there. Its a phenomenal transition to witness...from a coarse high(ish) energy beach to a stable backshore lagoon type system.