Beach Art

The flotsam and jetsam has risen up on Haverigg shingle bank and stands sentinel.

In the stillness of the day nothing moved

The little mountain of Black Combe watches over sea and land

And still nothing moves

The jellyfish does not want to be here down in the sand it wants to move;

and dreams of the pools left behind by the tide.  We move on -

and in the distance see another sentinel on top of the sand dunes

From the sea to dune

an everlasting supply of tide washed buoys to gather and to string up on the skyline by our mystery artist.

Nature's art of tide and time is also gathering, perhaps to grow another shingle bank

of the beach pebbles remnants from deep time.

Coastal Cinnabar

Walking the beach in summer this stripy creature wiggled into view, a cinnabar moth caterpillar.  I wondered what it was doing out here on the shingle bank between channels and shore and nowhere near its usual haunt, feeding on the bright yellow ragwort.  It takes in poison from the ragwort leaves as it feeds so maybe a bird had picked it up and then gone, yuk ,with the foul taste, and dropped it. You can only see a couple of its spines on my photo but they are venomous enough to create a itchy rash on human skin if one were to pick it up.     

Like the caterpillar the shoreline is on the move and the shingle bank keeps changing and growing

and is now popular for a walk along and night fishing.

Rattle your way down the pebble banking and sand is soon reached again.  Returning to the cinnabar moth seen all along the coastal area here

Creative Commons : Sharp Photography

it takes its name from the red mineral (which used to be ground and used by artists as the red pigment, vermilion).  Whichever naturalist named it in the mists of time must have known both minerals and moths because the mineral contains mercury so like the moth is poisonous.

Creative Commons: Sharp Photography

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet this week sojourning at C here 

 

Up

 Tying Up on the River Lazy where it  meets the Duddon Estuary on the Cumbrian coast.

Up high, glad I'm not at the top of this very long ladder in Leeds.

Stepping Up on the 'Sandstone Trail' steps on Bickerton Hill, Cheshire.

where there is a nice view up at the top of Broxton village but some find the undergrowth smells more interesting 

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet, this week sojourning at U here

Dogtastic

I don't have a dog but I enjoy other peoples pets, whether playing with them, or just on dog watch with a camera.

Getting excited about a train arriving while those around them are intent on a mobile connection.

Taking a human for a walk

Wondering if this size of branch may be a little unmanageable

Temping us for an ice cream on the Saltaire Ice Cream Boat

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet, this week sojourning D here

Zipping

A kite surfer taking advantage of a breezy day on the Cumbrian coast zipping backwards and forwards

and zooming along past

the sea wall, the wind taking him inshore where

he turned at the end of the beach while those of us ambling along the coastal path or idling on the sands were entertained.

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet, this week sojourning at X here

Union Jack on Holiday

Union Jacks being flown at the entrance to Port Haverigg Holiday Park to welcome the residents.  There was a discussion at the time Scotland was voting whether to become independent of the United Kingdom what our national flag might look like without the St Andrews Cross on it and a number of possible designs produced.  As it never happened no need to buy fresh flags, yet.

Lets take a walk down the road

and something unexpected may be seen outside one of the holiday homes which overlook the Hodbarrow Lagoon.  A miniature lighthouse, complete with little door, cottage and boathouse made with beach pebbles. Our artist has also included a windmill. Perhaps the miller and the lighthouse keeper go to the

 little church across the path on Sundays.  It doesn't show up too well on the photograph but the snaking sign says, or should I say hisses, "Pleeesse Water'. A plea to the unheedful gardener?

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet, this week sojourning at U here 

Tiny Tadpoles

Taking a stroll last week on the sandy path between sand dunes and sea the brackish pools lying amongst the small section of salt marsh near Haverigg on the Cumbrian coast looked so tranquil.

But something caught my eye. A seething black mass at the edge.

It was thousands of tadpoles.

 The more adventurous were swimming all over the pool

and I concentrated on trying to get a photograph of their tails wiggling.  Suddenly there was a quiver and an explosion of sand

 as a little Goby fish broke cover and swam across the pool.  I wondered what these tadpoles would turn into. 

This distinctive double string gave a clue

Lets take a closer look.

Some of these eggs will eventually turn into Natterjack toads. It is a protected species in the British Isles and only present in a handful of coastal sites.  Their preference for shallow, warm pools has the disadvantage that these can dry out but they overcome the problem by an extended period of mating from April to July and eggs are produced throughout this season,  normally 3000 to 4000 at a time.  This nocturnal toad's distinctive calls will be heard in the dunes in the night.

I think a warm winter and early spring this year may mean a productive year for all our amphibians whether by the coast or

inland. As part of the National Garden Scheme when private gardens are opened to the public to raise money for charity the owners of Clearbeck opened up their 4+ acre garden for two days this weekend and we made the trip inland into north Lancashire yesterday. I ramped up my tadpole spotting for the year at the edge of their lake

I managed to throw these little fellows into a mild panic as my shadow fell across water and they scattered.  I will not see what happens to these tadpoles, which I suspect are the offspring of the Common Frog, but will be be keeping an eye on my local pools. When I revisited the brackish pools this week there was even more life there, damselflies clinging on the reeds while little water boatmen skimmed the surface in the sunshine and the tadpoles had been joined by new ones, their small size distinguishing them from those who had spent longer in the pool.

 As Arnie says "I'll Be Back" and hopefully see their life journey as they metamorphose into toads .

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet this week sojourning at T here

   

 

Yellow Yacht Yonder

A walk over the Haverigg sand dunes which at this time of the year are ablaze with yellow flowers but I spotted one lone plant 

Limnanthes douglasii

I did not expect to see, a poached egg plant.  It must have seeded from a garden escapee, it is not a native plant although once planted in an English garden they are prolific.  I always thought they liked moist soil but here they are happily growing in sand

And enjoying the sun

The tide had ebbed and we walked to where the River Lazy joins the sea  and what do I spy but a yellow yacht in the distance

 high and dry on the sand yonder.  We walk on north returning to the sand dunes and

later when on the top gaze towards the lighthouse and  see the yellow yacht beginning to float although the tide 

still had a way to come in, we waited no longer as there was an appointment with an ice-cream

An entry to ABC Wednesday - a journey through the alphabet nearing the end (of this round).  I must have been so overexcited about that fact that I thought today was Tuesday and now realise my error, still Monday. Gosh almost like having a longer week.  It makes a change for me to be ahead of time, I'm a waiting for the deadline to appear kind of person.