Sea Spurge and Sea Buckthorn for Chapter Three

Sorry for the recent lack of blog updates. I've been a busy bee but unfortunately not photographically. Last week I had my interview for my PGCE primary specialising in Art at Exeter Uni, and this week I found out I got in!!! Just got to get a 2:1 now to get in, next challenge set...

I've also been working on my book text so that I can get it proof read and also get a better idea of what images I need to get. Making the most of the time before most species that I need start emerging.

Here's some images of Sea Spurge and Sea Buckthorn that I took for Chapter 3, 'Plants of the Dunes'.

Enjoy!

Sea Spurge for the Chapter 3 title page image

Sea Buckthorn - a plant of the fixed dune land. It is also sometimes planted to help stabalise dunes threatened by erosion. It can grow up to 6m tall and forms dense thickets which are great shelters for wildlife and nesting birds.

Sea Buckthorns thorns protect its leaves and berries from animals and birds eating them.

Sea Buckthorns berries contain 15 times more vitimin C than oranges. The juices are used for lots of medical purposes. Some Russian astronauts use the oil from the berries to protect them from UV rays in space!

Sea Spurge is a species found on the mobile and semi-fixed dunes. It can grow up to 1m tall and can produce as many as 5000 seeds which spread from beach to beach carried by the tide.

The fleshy, waxy leaves help store water, helping it to live in this harsh environment.

The stem contains a white sap which tastes unpleasant to grazers, particularly rabbits, protecting it from grazing.