BBC Wildlife - UK (2020-05)

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18 BBC Wildlife May 2020

WILD MAY

Sand lizard

By far the rarest of our

three native lizards,

this beautiful creature

is confined to just a

few sand dunes and

heaths across England

• though reintroduction
  programmes have
  recently helped to
  establish new populations.
  It is more robust and
  bulkier than its common
  counterpart. Males are
  easiest to spot in spring,
  as their large heads and
  flanks become flushed
  bright green to attract
  prospective mates.

Northern marsh

orchid

This pretty plant is

bright purple, with dark

spots and lines marking

the flowers, but it can

sometimes be dicult to

distinguish from other

marsh orchid species.

It flowers from late May

through to July, and is

most abundant in damp,

coastal dune slacks. As

its name suggests, the

species’ main range is

in Scotland, Wales and

north-west England.

Sea sandwort

Fleshy and hairless by

nature, sea sandwort has

sprawling stems that keep

it out of the wind. These

possess neatly arranged,

pointed leaves, stacked

in opposite pairs. The

plant is one of the earliest

colonisers of embryonic

sand dunes. It eventually

beats a hasty retreat,

when other botanical

competition takes hold.

Sea holly

Though more closely

related to the carrot

family than holly trees,

sea holly lives up to its

name,withimpressively

spiky,blue-greenleaves.

It isrelativelycommon

in amongsanddunes.

Waxycuticlescoveringthe

leaveshelptheplantto

retainmoistureinthearid,

windy,saltyconditions

whereit thrives.

Natterjacktoad

Muchsmallerthan

thecommontoad,

thenatterjackhasa

distinctiveyellowstripe

runningdownitsback.

Thespeciesismostly

nocturnal, and the males’

mating chorus can be

heard over a mile away.

1 Portstewart Strand is located

between Portstewart and the mouth of

the River Bann. Managed by the National

Trust, the towering 6,000-year-old sand

dunesaresome of the tallest in Ireland.

2 Ainsdale Sand Dunes NNR

occupiesthe central part of the

SeftonCoast SSSI, which stretches

foranunspoilt 21km from Liverpool to

Southport. The spring pools in the slacks

arepossibly the best location in the

countrytohear mating natterjacks.

3 Newborough Warren NNR at

Anglesey’s southern tip is one of Britain’s

largestsand dune systems. Just over half

hasbeenaorested, but the remaining

areasarea botanical hotspot, with

around560 plant species recorded.

4 Merthyr Mawr Warren NNR near

Bridgendin South Wales is a special

habitatfor insects, plants and fungi,

duetosand settling on top of ancient

limestoneclis.

5 Braunton Burrows in North Devon

consistsof around 1,000ha of privately

ownedsand dunes, open to the public

year-round. It’s designated as a UNESCO

BiosphereReserve.

While the spread of

COVID-19 means it’s not

possible to travel to these

locationsat the moment, we hope

they oer some inspiration for days

out once the pandemic has ended.

Due to the ‘get up and go’ nature of all

sand dune systems, they are challenging

to conserve in the UK’s crowded

landscape, where there’s little free space

for nature reserves on the move. Many

of the best sites have become hemmed

in by golf courses, roads or coastal

conurbations. The ecological value of

dune systems has also been chronically

underestimated in the past, with sites

being covered by conifer plantations.

Sand dunes act as important natural

barriers that keep the power of the

waves at bay. Yet the erection of hard

sea defences and tidal barrage systems

poses a considerable threat, by cutting

off that all-important supply of sand.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that

despite many sand dunes appearing in

rude health, they can be surprisingly

vulnerable to high visitor numbers,

with the dune-stabilising marram grass

particularly sensitive to trampling.

So do your bit – when coronavirus is

behind us and we can once again enjoy

visiting beaches across the country

• make sure you stick to the clearly
  marked boardwalks or established
  footpaths, to help preserve precious
  sand dune habitat.

Sand dunes can be

surprisingly vulnerable

to high visitor numbers,

with marram grass

sensitive to trampling.

CHOICE LOCATIONS

5

2

4

3

1

SPECIES TO LOOK OUT FOR

!

Sand dunes sustain

various plants, such

as sea sandwort.