23rd July-7th August is National Marine Week.
The Wildlife Trusts are promoting this. They say it doesn’t matter what type of beach it is, there’s always plenty to see:
- On rocky shores there is a ‘rocky horror’ show waiting to delight you with various sea shenanigans!
- On muddy shores, you’ll find cockles and lugworms galore. Seabirds and wading birds flock to these areas to feast on the abundance of food.
- On sandy shores, you’ll see the coiled sand-casts of hidden worms, and all sorts of seashells, from razor shells to scallops. And you can try your hand at a bit of sand sculpture (think bigger and outside of the sand castle box) and let your imagination run wild! Whereas in sand dunes you’ll find a terrestrial haven for butterflies and beetles.
- On shingle shores, you’ll find beautiful plants like the sea poppy and sea holly toughing it out on the stones. On the strandline (the line of debris left by the falling tide), you’ll find tiny shrimps hiding amongst fronds of seaweed and delights such as mermaids purses – the egg cases left behind by sharks and rays.
Their website has detail of what you might do.