Dinas Dinlle, Caernarfon 3rd July 2017

Views from Dinas Dinlle beach towards Llŷn Peninsula

Whilst visiting family in North Wales for a few days I had a walk around Dinas Dinlle near Caernarfon which offers views towards the Llŷn Peninsula. The route headed past Caernarfon Airport and the Morfa Lodge Caravan Park before heading northwards along the saltmarsh inlet of Y Foryd towards Fort Belan. Returning south through the sand-dunes before walking along the beach back to Dinas Dinlle.

Plenty of notable Plants with Spear-leaved Orache Atriplex prostrata, Sea-purslane Atriplex portulacoides, Sea Campion Silene uniflora, Thrift Armeria maritima, Wild Pansy Viola tricolor, Scarlet Pimpernel Anagallis arvensis, Loganberry Rubus loganobaccus, Kidney Vetch Anthyllis vulneraria, Common Bird’s-foot-trefoil Lotus corniculatus, Meadow Vetchling Lathyrus pratensis, Common Restharrow Ononis repens, Hare’s-foot Clover Trifolium arvense, Sea Spurge Euphorbia paralias, Common Stork’s-bill Erodium cicutarium, Sea Carrot Daucus carota subsp. gummifer, Common Centaury Centaurium erythraea, Bittersweet Solanum dulcamara, Sea Bindweed Calystegia soldanella, Wild Thyme Thymus polytrichus, Sea Plantain Plantago maritima, Eyebright Euphrasia officinalis, Lady’s Bedstraw Galium verum, Carline Thistle Carlina vulgaris, Yarrow Achillea millefolium, Scentless Mayweed Tripleurospermum inodorum and Pyramidal Orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis.

Rabbit Skull

Corpse of the Day included a Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus skull in the dunes, the remains of a Lesser Spotted Dogfish Scyliorhinus caniculus on the beach and hundreds of dead Green Shore Crabs Carcinus maenus on the high tide line along the edge of the saltmarsh. A Compass Jellyfish Chrysaora hysoscella had become stranded with the tide.

Compass Jellyfish

Only a few Butterflies and Moths with Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris, Small White Pieris rapae, fifty plus Cinnabar Moth Tyria jacobaeae caterpillars on the Oxford Ragwort Senecio squalidus and a dozen or so Six-spot Burnet Zygaena filipendulae.

Mating Burnet Moths

If you are interested in the wildlife of the north-west of England and would like to join the walks and coach trips run by the Merseyside Naturalists’ Association, see the main MNA website for details of our programme and how to join us.

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