Add flower finding to your beach activities

The salty sea air and sandy soil might prove a problem for some plants, but others thrive in these conditions.

That being said, nature as a whole, in the UK is in decline. Since the 1970s, a total of 54% of flowering plants have been lost from areas where they used to thrive. This means beautiful plants such as Heather and Chamomile, both of which you can find on our coastlines, are becoming harder to find.

So, when you next head out with your bucket and spade, why not see if you can spot some of the stunning species that adore the seaside as much as we do! Lets take time to appreciate the wild plants that call the coast home and help to protect their future.

What plants can you expect to find?

Keep on the lookout before you arrive at the beach as there are plenty of species to spot on the walk down to the sand. From coastal paths and cliffs to streams that lead to the sea and maritime heaths, there are multiple habitats for plants to call home.

Here are some of our favourites:

• Gorse Ulex sp. can be found on banks, heaths and sea-cliffs. Also a signature plant of acidic rough open space and commonland. 
  Gorse is a shrub that is easy to spot with its sharp green spines and yellow flowers. It gives off the sweet smell of coconut in the spring. While flowers can be seen most of the year, it’s at it’s best between April and May.  On hot summer days you can hear the seed pods popping and crackling open, releasing their seeds. 
• Thrift Armeria maritima, is a common sight in coastal areas all over the UK and can be found on cliffs. maritime rocks and salt marshes as well as further inland.
  These pretty spherical blooms are usually pink, rarely white. Thrifts have two subspecies, maritima and elongata. To tell the difference, maritima has hairy stems. It flowers between April and October.
• Kidney Vetch Anthyllis vulneraria, is common all over the UK coastline and can be found on cliffs, rocks and maritime heaths.
  Kidney Vetch usually has clusters of yellow flowers, though they can be orange or red. To spot the plant, turn the leaves over – they should be white underneath with a soft silky texture. It flowers between June and September.
• Common Reed Phragmites australis, is a common sight all over the UK and can be found in shallow rivers, streams and estuaries near the coast.
  It is a tall perennial growing up to 3m. The leaves which are green in colour with a grey tinge are long and flat. Common Reeds have large fluffy, flower spikes that are purple to brown. They flower between August and October.
• Biting Stonecrop Sedum acre is a perennial plant that can be found all around the coast from cliff tops to sand-dunes and shingle beaches. It can also be found further inland, usually growing in walls or cracks of paths.
  Plants grow up to 10cm and have overlapping fleshy leaves. It flowers between May and July with bright yellow, star shaped flowers, that are a favourite of pollinators.
• Sheep’s-bit Jasione montana, is a biennial plant that can be found on coastal cliffs, dunes, and maritime heaths as well as further inland on acidic soils, hedge banks, rough grasslands and rocky hillsides. It is widespread in west Britain, but scattered elsewhere.
  This pretty plant has rounded flower heads that are bright blue in colour and grow up to 35mm in diameter. They flower between May and August.

Once you get down to the beach itself, a whole new habitat opens up. While the landscape might seem arid, there a number of interesting plants you can find living in the sand.

Here are some of our favourites:

• Sea Mayweed Tripleurospermum maritimum, can be found on cliffs and sea walls, but also shingle beaches and even sand. This hardy perennial, which is part of the daisy family, can be found in coastal zones all around UK.
  The flowers look like large daisies with a mass of leaves that are quite thick and succulent. It flowers between July and August.
• Rock Samphire Crithmum maritimum, as the name suggests, prefers rockier locations, and can be found on sea walls, cliffs and rocks on the beach as well as shingle beaches themselves. They can be found on the south and west coasts of Britain and all around the coast of Ireland.
  Rock Samphire has lots of branches with succulent type leaves that are rounded. It flowers with small yellowish green flowers between July and August.
• Sea-holly Eryngium maritimum, can be found popping out of sand dunes as well as fine shingle beaches all around the UK, apart from the north and east of Scotland as well as north east England.
  Sea-holly is easy to spot with it’s spiny leaves. It does look like it could be a relative of Holly, but is actually within the Apiaceae family, which includes Fennel, Parsnip and Coriander. Sea-holly has blue flowers that can sometimes have a metallic sheen.
• Sea Sandwort Honckenya peploides, is a maritime succulent that can be found all over the UK coast on sand and shingle beaches.
  Sea Sandwort is a long creeping perennial that has fleshy succulent leaves up to 18mm. It has small flowers up to just 10mm in diameter with greenish petals. It flowers between May and August.
• Common Restharrow Ononis repens can be found in most areas of the UK, apart from north Scotland and west Ireland. You can spot this perennial plant in sand dunes and shingle beaches as well as further inland.
  Plants grow to around 60cm and have stems that are green and sometimes slightly red in colour. The stems are covered in tiny hairs. They have small pink flowers, similar to those of a pea, which can be seen between June and September.
• Sea Campion Silene uniflora is a perennial plant that can be found on coastal cliffs, rocky ground and shingle beaches, all around the UK coastline.
  Plants can grow up to 25 cm. Their flowers have five white petals with splits down the middle, which can make it look as though the flowers have ten petals each. They flower between June and August.

How to get started?

The best thing about species spotting, is that you really don’t need any equipment that you wouldn’t already have, just appropriate clothing and footwear for exploring the coast.

If you did want to bring anything along, you could take a plant guide, so that you can name any species you find that we haven’t included. You could also bring a hand lens with a x10 or x20 magnification to get a close up look at the petals and leaves and a camera to capture memories from your adventure.

To help you ID some of the species you find, why not read our blog here, on three apps to help you identify wildflowers with your phone.

Remember to stay safe when you are by the sea. Stay well away from cliff edges and bases, pay attention to any warning signs such as those in areas where there may be rock falls and always make yourself aware of the tide times before heading to the beach.

Nature needs our help. The UK’s plant species are in decline, and 1 in 6 wildlife species are at risk of extinction.

But, there is so much hope. We have been involved in a number of projects that have brought species back from extinction, helped protect species on the edge and encouraged thousands to let their lawns grow wild for nature. And the good news is, everyone can help.

So, to celebrate World Nature Conservation Day, held annually on 28 July, we are sharing ideas on how you can protect nature. Whether you’re a landowner or someone without a garden – there are ways for everyone to get involved.

How can you get involved?

Spend some time connecting to nature

Whether it’s by spending a virtual minute in a meadow with our video below, or heading to your local nature reserve – connecting with nature is so important.

The health of nature and our own health and wellbeing are intrinsically linked. There are countless studies that show the benefits time in nature can have – from lower stress levels, to improved mood and mental health.

For more ideas, visit our Explore the Outdoors page here and discover more of the magical world of wild plants and fungi.

What Happened 25 Years Ago?

This year marks 25 years since the stunning Skylark Meadows in Somerset first became a protected Plantlife nature reserve – thanks to the local community who rallied to save it.

Back in 1997, news broke that the farmer who had owned and managed the land as a traditional hay meadow was looking to retire and sell the 18-acre patch that had become a haven, not only for plant and animal wildlife, but for the local residents as well. With the future of the meadows in jeopardy, the community organised an appeal to raise the funds needed to buy it.

Donald Rayner from Bawdrip, one of the residents instrumental to saving the site, remembered the day he first realised how special the meadows were: “My friends had started without me, so I set off after them across what we now call Skylark Meadows. They were ahead, and I was alone in the fields. I heard skylarks where they simply shouldn’t be. I knew I’d come across something special.”

For 25 years, and for the future, the meadows remain protected for the community and nature.

Donald said: “It offers all ages a chance to enjoy bird song, flowers and open land in a large landscape of natural features. Children visit from the school and the footpaths provide an opportunity for all to visit, learn and enjoy from all over the country.”

The purchase of this meadow was made possible with help from Unilever (Timotei), Somerset Wildlife Trust, the Environment Agency, Sedgemoor District Council, Gerber Foods, Wyvern Environmental Trust, the Charles Hayward Trust and the community through the Skylark Meadows Rescue Group.

Our plants and pollinators go hand in hand. You might have heard how important pollinators are to our food crops, but did you know they are just as vital for the rest of our plants? From the wildflowers in our meadows, to the shrubs in our hedgerows, and our garden blooms, to our ancient woodlands – pollinators play a pivotal role.

Unfortunately, some populations of pollinators in the UK are now in decline. While there is no one answer to the cause of this drop in numbers, habitat loss is certainly high on the list. Which is why it’s so important that there are moments like Bees Needs Week or National Meadows Day (on the first Saturday in July) that spotlight the incredible meadows and flower-rich grasslands that are home to pollinators.

Plantlife, and other environmental and farming organisations, are calling on the UK Government to prioritise action for these habitats by committing to developing a Grassland Action Plan.

Read more below to find out how you can get involved.

Pick the bees favourite blooms

It’s important to remember that butterflies and bees feed on pollen and nectar, so choosing plants that are rich in both will help to provide a full feast for our insect friends.

These plants are favourites among some of our common pollinators and could be good to include in your garden. Click through to our species pages to learn more.

• Primrose Primula vulgaris – These pretty pale-yellow native plants bloom early in the spring making them valuable to provide pollinators food before other sources are available.
• Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta – Bluebells are one of the most quintessential British spring plants, that can often be seen blanketing the countryside. But you don’t have to head to your nearest woodland to see them at their springtime best, you can grow them at home too.
• Wild Strawberry Fragaria vesca – These little red berries often found in meadows and verges can also be grown in the garden. The white flowers that form in spring are loved by many pollinators which in turn help the plants produce fruit which make a tasty treat for animals and insects alike. Keep in mind that while these plants have declined in their distribution across England, they also spread very quickly, so could be better grown in pots.
• Field Forget-me-not Myosotis arvensis – These little blue flowers provide easy to access nectar for bees and grow easily in most gardens. With a long flowering term from April to September, these tiny flowers can have a big impact.
• Sweet Violet Viola odorata – Pretty violet to white flowers that smell as good as they look. These plants provide a great source of food for early pollinators as they begin to bloom in March. As well as being great for bees, they have been known to be candied as a delicious decoration for baked treats.
• Cuckooflower Cardamine pratensis – These pretty lilac flowers are another good source of early nectar and pollen for bees and butterflies, they are partial to a more damp habitat, so if your garden is close to a water source, this could be a great option.

Inspired by the rallying call from our Patron on the 60th anniversary of the Coronation, the Coronation Meadows project was born. The Coronation Meadows conservation partnership project, between Plantlife, The Wildlife Trusts and the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, was launched at Highgrove in 2013 by HRH The Prince of Wales and pioneered a path to the long-term creation and restoration of species-rich grasslands.

In recent years, our Patron’s backing has continued to energise our efforts. In February 2020 he held a reception at Highgrove to celebrate Plantlife’s 30th anniversary and endorsed our Strategy to 2030.

In 2021, Plantlife and our partners at Bumblebee Conservation Trust and Butterfly Conservation were thrilled that Grasslands+ – our joint effort to raise the urgency to protect and restore global grasslands at COP-26 – was chosen as a case study in the very first annual report from the Terra Carta – our Patron’s mandate to put Nature, People and Planet at the heart of the private sector.  

In January 2023, Plantlife was delighted to be chosen as one of seven organisations to be awarded a Strategic Partnerships grant from King Charles III Charitable Fund, allowing us to launch our Science and Impact programme to demonstrate impact, share organisational learning and develop our research networks.

We are very much looking forward to having His Majesties support in years to come, as we know how crucial it is that we protect and restore nature.

The landmark State of Nature report is a stark call to action, published by the RSPB. The headlines are alarming, with species populations in decline, species communities changing and extinction rates increasing. The report makes it clear that to protect our wildlife we need cohesion and mobilisation of all sectors of society.

Against this backdrop, and under the weight of responsibility to the environment, communities are now rallying together to ask for change. From small online actions such as signing petitions at home, to organising rallies in our capital, such as the Restore Nature Now demo organised by Chris Packham and his team in September 2023.

Who is speaking up for plants and fungi?

The autumn spectacle of multicoloured waxcaps is an important indicator of ancient grasslands that have been unploughed for decades, and which are rich in carbon and soil biodiversity.  

Unfortunately, many of these irreplaceable grassland fungi sites continue to disappear under tree planting, new houses, intensive farming, transport infrastructure and more. It is certain that many more are also lost unseen, because of a series of interlinked issues that place the conservation of fungi far behind that of other taxa like mammals and birds. 

However, the number of people working professionally as field surveyors remains very low. Most ecological consultancies, who undertake survey work to protect wildlife during development, don’t employ mycologists. 

This lack of expert recorders and recording means that we still have very little data describing the distribution of fungal species across large parts of the country, especially compared to other taxa.

Using a hand lens will not only make it easier to identify plants such as lichens, but you’ll also be able to see the beautiful, intricate structures on a plant which are not easily visible to the naked eye. 

A hand lens is a pocket-sized magnifier, which you can pick up from your favourite natural history or ecology suppliers to kick start your botanical explorations. When looking for your new hand lens, start with one with x10 magnification, and expect to spend £10-£20.