I have long known about the importance of the beach as a vegetated shingle habitat, but I have never seen it in all its spring glory, with many of the flowers already out (although I suspect that the best is yet to come).

The peninsula of Shoreham Beach is a spit formed from the longshore drift of shingle across the mouth of the River Adur.

Over time, the spit has stabilised to a certain extent, allowing plants specially adapted to this hostile environment to establish.

Vegetated shingle is a nationally rare habitat and many of the areas of greatest importance are along the stretch of coast between The Solent and Dungeness.

Plants that colonise shingle are adapted to deal with the lack of water (strange to think that this is an issue so close to the sea!) and the desiccating effects of the salt-laden wind.

Because of these adaptations, shingle plants are vulnerable to disturbance by humans, especially through trampling and the enrichment of the "soil" by such activities as bonfires, animal waste and dumping garden waste (producing a composting effect).

These issues are particularly prevalent on Shoreham Beach because of the numbers of visitors and the proximity of houses that front onto the beach.

The Friends of Shoreham Beach was set up in December, 2006, and this group is dedicated to protecting the area, now designated as a local nature reserve. Many of the members are local residents, but membership is open to anyone with an interest in the shingle beach.

Much of the work undertaken by the group is to raise awareness of the issues affecting the beach and information signs have been erected, a leaflet has been produced and talks and guided walks are also organised.

Future work will include a survey of plant species and gathering information about invasive species such as silver ragwort and red valerian.

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