Flower beach: "vegetated shingle"

Image: © Chris Taken: 15 Jun 2013

This is a very rare habitat, seen in all its splendour here. See also Image, which is a similar habitat, with information board, on the edge of the Coastal Greensward at Middleton on Sea. The plants with a bluish tinge are Sea Kale (Crambe maritima), which is edible. The shoots are served like asparagus: steamed. However, to eat it you must grow it at home from seed since it is rare in the wild and a protected species. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crambe_maritima The red flowers are Red Valerian (Centranthus ruber), a garden escapee which has taken a liking to this habitat See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centranthus_ruber The spread of the colourful Valerian plants has created a dilemma: opinions are divided as to whether they should be removed.

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