Tag Archives: #Morecambe

Ammophila arenaria, Aeolian Architect

Marram grass, Ammophila arenaria, also known as European beachgrass, is one of our most iconic and ecologically important maritime plant species. A tough, perennial grass it thrives in the harsh, windswept conditions of coastal sand dunes, where few other species can survive.

Northern Shores: Bladderwrack

Bladder wrack, Fucus vesiculosus, is a familiar sight to anyone who has wandered our coasts, a member of the brown algae family, it is easily identified by its flattened, leathery fronds that branch repeatedly in a dichotomous pattern, splitting evenly into two like a fork.

Gallinago the Bog Drummer

If you’ve ever stood in the reeds of Chat Moss, the wet sheep-pastures of the Ribble estuary, the peat-bogs of Bowland or the rushy fields around Martin Mere on a still April evening, you might have heard a weird, somewhat spooky, sound that you couldn’t quite put your finger on; a bleating, almost goat-like humming that seemed to come from the sky itself, and you may have wondered what made it.

Northern Shores: The Knots of Morecambe Bay

The vast tidal estuary of Morecambe Bay is one of the most significant sites for birdlife in the British Isles, supporting over 240,000 birds annually. Among its most iconic avian visitors is the Knot, Calidris canutus, a small, stocky wading bird known for its remarkable migrations and mesmerising flock displays. A holarctic species, breeding inContinue reading “Northern Shores: The Knots of Morecambe Bay”

Northern Shores: Chitons, Armoured Knights of the Intertidal Realm

At first glance, Chitons (pronounced “Ki-ton”) don’t demand much attention; grey, unassuming and measuring only a few centimetres in length they usually go unnoticed by the casual passer-by or, at the least, are presumed to be limpets or a part of the rocks they live upon. Yet, like a lot of our wildlife, if youContinue reading “Northern Shores: Chitons, Armoured Knights of the Intertidal Realm”