Paintings and Prints of the East Anglian Coast
The Brown-Lipped Snail (Cepaea nemoralis) is very common throughout most of the UK. They are gastropods (stomach feet) but actually the stomach is inside the shell. The colouring of the bands can vary from pale yellow to brown but it is identifiable by the bark band around the shell opening. Also they are hermaphrodites being neither male or female. These I found on Kessingland beach.
The last few days has seen some high tides that has removed a lot of shingle. On the right is a huge piece of driftwood that was washed up during the winter. This drift wood must have been part of a jetty or pier or groyne as it is square, it makes a great seat to sit on on the beach as does the tree trunk previously sketched.
Found growing at the foot of the cliffs in Kessingland. At the moment it is green with it’s little pink flowers but come Autumn it will be more familiar with the brown prickly stems and spiny seed heads. These seed heads will later be frequented by seed feeding birds like Goldfinches. The seed heads are a natural comb and were wildly used in the textile industry to raise the nap.
Scentless Mayweed (Tripleurospermum maritimum ssp. inodorum) growing in the cornfields at Benacre in Suffolk. A member of the daisy family with it’s white and yellow flowers.
As seen from the bank of the River Blyth at Blythburgh through the trees.
