Peter, Jean, Moira, Trevor, Fiona ,Rosey and Margaret met in showery weather. We looked at the area around the car park, along the base of the cliffs as far as the beach at very high tide, then along the main track through the dunes, ending at my house for refreshments. Folk commented on the build up of the dunes over not many years, the current sand deposition on the beach, and the commercial sand extraction. We were dismayed by the amount of dog pooh, but amazed at the number of snails we saw, of many sizes and colours.

 

The area was mainly colonised by Lyme and Marram grasses, with a few patches of Sea couch grass.

Plants identified were:-

 

Sea and Ribwort plantain  Sea rocket  Curled dock  Smooth and Prickly sowthistle  Sea mayweed  Pineapple mayweed  Red poppy,  Silverweed  Catsear  Scots lovage  Shepherds purse  Cow parsley  Hogweed  Angelica  Common chickweed  Sea sandwort  Red and White clover  Knapweed  White bindweed  Meadow sweet  Flag iris  Coltsfoot  Lady's bedstraw  Sainfoin -not a native plant, probably deliberately planted below the Viking,  Red campion  dandelion  daisy  Meadow buttercup  Common and Frosted oraches  Tufted vetch  Meadow Vetchling  Ground elder  Rosa Rogosa  Rosebay willowherb  Common nettle  Sea thrift  Spear thistle  Creeping thistle  Yarrow  Birdsfoot trefoil  Oysterplant -3  patches-  one damaged by a camp fire, but starting to recover  Horsetail  Ragwort.

 

Common orache & sea mayweed

Sainfoin flower rare to Orkney - seed must have blown in somehow