The approaching summer and favorable sunny weather encouraged me to visit seaside beach for walk.
There were a lot of people on the beach. Although the water has not warmed up yet and does not encourage bathing, it was worth taking a long walk along the beach and seeing the lighthouse and the wonderful surrounding nature.
The beach was really clean and I don't think I've ever seen so many kites flew into the sky and beyond horizon. The children enjoyed a runaround in the sunshine.
It was fun to watch children and adults test balancing on sandy mountains, hopped across from one site to another, and some had a picnic or hunted with sandy - toes for shells.
There were of course a big grass islands in this peacefull heaven, and among them I spotted a sea holly flowers, that grew in a groups. Some of them had an early buds flowers.
I wanted to show you this modest plant, which is also a real defender of the dunes. June is the season for sea holly blooming. It grows on the coasts of Europe, the Atlantic, the Black, Mediterranean and North Seas. Sea holly also grows in poor, sandy soils and in places with lots of sun. Its leaves and stems are covered with wax, which protects these plants from wind and sun.
Click the image to enlarge it.
Sea Holly has a rosette of stiff, spiky leaves and capitate, spiky flowers. They are all grey-blue. In the later period, the flowers change their color to amethyst-blue. These flowers are readily pollinated by insects.
Due to the erosion and forestation of the dunes and high pressure from tourism, there has been a significant decline of Sea Holly. Very often it was imported from different countries to strengthen the dunes with its help.
It is a plant that, despite its modest charm, remains in memory and is associated with the beach or sea coast. In some countries it is partialy protected.
And I told you that nature surrounds us everywhere, even on the sands you can meet various flowers such as Holly Sea.