AS we enter the holiday period a visit to the seaside on a hot summer's day wants a lot of beating. I visited the sand dunes at Lytham and soon my list of attractive flowers became impressive.

I found lots of marram grass, the fibrous roots of which bind the sand grains and stabilises the dunes. This provides an ideal area for more delicate plants to thrive.

My list included heart's ease pansy, ladies bedstraw, burnet rose and one of my favourites the bell-shaped sea bindweed. Unlike greater bindweed which gardeners hate, this pretty pink plant is a delight. It must have sand and some salt for it to thrive but it could never be a garden plant because it demands such a specialised environment.

I do, however, love finding plants (and other forms of wildlife) in their natural habitat.