Let’s imagine the wind blowing tirelessly on the sand, constantly moving it. It blows, blows again and again… It moves the sand until it meets a plant, the sand accumulates and, in a repetitive but magical act, the dune is formed.
Coastal sandy dunes are different from mobile dunes in the inland areas because they are dotted with vegetation that blocks their progress inland. Coastal vegetation is a kind of natural barrier that prevents the sand from moving too far, and once the plants manage to take root, a real colonization process begins.
The vegetation of the dunes is distributed in bands, and if we draw an imaginary line towards the interior, we can see that the first band is occupied by plants that grow on the wet sand. But it is only in the second band, above the maximum tide level, that we find plants adapted to living in saline or brackish environments that germinate in autumn or late winter and have a short vegetative period sufficient to form a barrier against the sand carried by the wind.
Finally, the third band is characterized by the presence of embryonic dunes, where the leading species is a beach Couch Grass that adapts perfectly to the particular sandy conditions. After the pioneer phase, other plants colonize the dune and become permanent, constituting a natural barrier to the sand. Behind the white dunes, where the hinterdune area is still intact, there are wet areas that develop thanks to rainwater or groundwater.
A Spectacle of Biodiversity.
This spectacle of biodiversity hosts numerous types of coastal flora, among the main ones we find the Oak, the Blackthorn, the Licorice, the Wild Carrot, the Beach Ambrosia, and also the Seaside Medick, the Rockrose, the Mastic, the Bay Laurel, the Spiny Fennel, the Rosemary, and the Holm Oak.
Then there are many other characteristic plants suitable for various uses. For example, Rostraria, an annual plant with a particular cylindrical shape, is commonly used in dry flower arrangements and is also of great interest for scientific research. This grass hosts a beetle parasite of wheat and other cereal crops.
Studying the relationship between Rostraria and the wheat beetle can help understand and develop biological control strategies to protect crops.
