UK Mega Event 2014 - Dune and Dusted CITO
Where?
Stevenston Beach
Local Nature Reserve
Ardeer
When?
Sunday 3rd August
11:00am - 1:00pm
Meet up at 11 a.m. in the car park at the given co-ordinates and collect your CITO equipment.
The plan is to spend a couple of hours spring cleaning the dunes of litter. We can supply all your needs in regards of bags, litter pickers, etc.
The Stevenston Beach Local Nature Reserve represents the last fully forming sand dune system in North Ayrshire following the destruction and stabilisation of the Ardeer Hills sand dune sytem in the 19th century. Its sands are still shifting and therefore the structure and position of the dunes is always in flux.
Rarer sand dune plants such as Babington's Orache and Isle of Man Cabbage have been recorded, together with typical sand dune wild flowers, including European Marram Grass, Lyme Grass, Kidney Vetch, Tufted Vetch, Common Restharrow, European Searocket, Scottish Bluebell and Bird's Foot Trefoil. These support large numbers and varieties of insect species. Butterflies and moths present include Common Blues, Small Heaths, Small Coppers, Graylings and the Six-spot Burnet moth.
Plants such as Marram and Lyme Grass were so important in stabilising sand dunes that during the 17th century reign of King William III, the Scottish Parliament passed a law protecting Lyme Grass.
Birds seen on the beach include Sanderling, Dunlin, Ringed Plover and Oytsercatchers are found on the neighbouring beach park. Brent Goose, Little Stint, and Golden Plover are sometimes seen. The strandline on the shore contains marine invertebrates, which are a food source for flocks of Twite, Linnet, Pied Wagtail, and, occasionally, Snow Bunting.