My encounters with flora at the tide’s reach. Part 2.

Jun 2, 2020 | Blog

Exton to the Mouth of the Clyst

We parked bikes at Exton Station, and walked back under the railway line which is passable at most times of the tide other than high tide, out northwards onto the Estuary.  The walled railway embankment exhibited some typical estuarine flora: Sea Beet, Sea Plantain and Biting Stonecrop.

Biting Stonecrop

Sea Beet: This is edible- the smaller leaves are best. It has red-striped stems and slender flower spikes. ( Flowers: Jun-Sep)

Sea Plantain: Has narrow fleshy leaves with flower spikes similar to its meadow cousin- Ribwort Plantain.    Edible  ( Flowers: Jun-Sep)

Biting Stonecrop: Low growing,with green succulent leaves bearing star shaped yellow flowers. ( Flowers: May-Jul)

The reed beds ahead revealed a pathway, near to  the embankment. The grasses here are of at least two types; 

Sedge: This species has a triangular stem and grows to about a metre tall

Common Reed grass: Very tall  hollow, golden stems. It has large, feathery, flower spikes appearing dark purple, fading to brown as the spikelets (containing the flowers) grow bristles.

Making our way along, we started to notice the plastic flotsam and jetsam, washed up and trapped at the high tide line. We saw some very large pieces including two very large “bread” trays, impossible to move.

On our right, the luxurious estuary-facing properties come to an end and here we found examples of Yellow Iris and swathes of Orache species.

Orache with Shield bug eggs 

Orache: Spear-Leaved Orache has so-called mealy leaves and has small red flowers on spikes in mid-summer ( Flowers: Jul-Oct)

Further on, we reached a stopping point where a bench provided a perch to contemplate the mudflats stretching out before us and great views down the river.

Just near here, we found examples of Greater Sea Spurrey– a delicate five- petalled plant with fleshy leaves, typical of salt tolerant flora. Nearby there was the equally delicate Sea Milkwort.

Greater Sea Spurrey 

Greater Sea Spurrey:  Flowers are tinged with pink and white in the centre. The leaves are fleshy. ( Flowers: May-Sep)

Sea Milkwort: Small pink-centred flowers with fleshy leaves. It can exude a milky sap and that is possibly the origin of the common name. ( Flowers: May-Aug)

Setting off northwards, we crossed a wooden footbridge and continued following the wavy path through the tall reeds. There are number of different options here, a bit like a maze, but eventually we got to the end of the trek. There, boats are moored (some abandoned) and with care ( wellingtons essential) we reached the edge of the reeds, just where the River Clyst exits onto the main body of the Estuary.

There are other examples of estuarine plants as you explore around the estuary including  Samphire, Sea Purslane, tidal grasses, and Scurvygrass.

Nearer to Exmouth there is evidence of our changing climate evidenced by the estuary wall which looks as though it has been breached by winter storms. This is only a small stretch, but at Exmouth itself, there are extensive works to raise  the level of the coastal defences. Rising sea levels and the greater incidence of damaging storms are predicted to increase the flooding potential in and around the estuary and seafront.

Recent works on Dawlish Warren have also been completed to attempt to shore up the beach and dune systems. However, recent winter weather has exposed the engineered “sausage” that was embedded at the head of the beach. Does this highlight a worrying trend?  Will Dawlish Warren succumb to rising sea levels and more intense storms?

Will the river eventually head straight to sea through the breached Warren, and, if so, how will that alter the ecology and geography of the Exe Estuary?

Heath Nickels

Salmon Run 2023

Salmon Run 2023

SALMON RUN 2023 In one day, World Rivers Day, runners aged from 3 (on pushbike) to 72 took on a variety of challenges to empathise with the epic journey of the Atlantic salmon against the flow up the river Exe to the spawning grounds on Exmoor following the Exe Valley...

read more
Run Salmon Run 2023

Run Salmon Run 2023

RUN SALMON RUN 2023 !! Run Watch Cheer!If you want to run in the 5k, cheer the runners on the route or turn up for activities at Salmon Pool in Exeter see below: Very rough relay timings (approximate apart from start!)Start at Exmouth 8am (arrive to run 7.30)Salmon...

read more
Sea Temperature Part I

Sea Temperature Part I

We are delighted to share this blog post from Louise which weaves together threads of felt experience, citizen science, craft and care around the increasingly critical story of sea temperature. Jon Tinker from the Met Office who co-faciliated an online event with us:...

read more
Exe Trail Plankton Mural

Exe Trail Plankton Mural

Exe Trail plankton mural near Lympstone Back just before lockdown Tidelines worked with the Exe Estuary Managment Partnership to deliver a workshop at Lymsptone primary school. The kids looked at images of plankton and tiny creatures from the oceans and used a variety...

read more
Alive Alive 0!

Alive Alive 0!

ALIVE ALIVE O! Calling the Blue Mussel The mussel beds in the Exe are now badly depleted and many are wondering how we can restore the natural habitats of the Estuary. Adult mussels cannot move, but their larvae disperse through the water and can travel. Many species...

read more
The Salmon Run Day

The Salmon Run Day

The SALMON RUN DAY 8 relay sections, 7 changeover locations, 9 ceremonial invocations, many dates slices, several pubs by several lovely bridges, 74 runners and 50 miles over fields and down roads up and down hills and by the river, the salmon (Samantha) was passed...

read more
Singing the Sea & Alive Alive O!

Singing the Sea & Alive Alive O!

Singing the Sea & Alive Alive O!   Image: Plymouth University 2nd year Illustration students - Tidelines project Two projects connected by sound. Sound is different under the water. Water can carry sounds far further than air. What sounds can we hear? What...

read more
High Water: Tides, Climate, Oceans and The Exe estuary

High Water: Tides, Climate, Oceans and The Exe estuary

HIGH WATER EVENT: 30 March 2021 Sarah Cameron Sunde Tidelines partnered with Art-earth and Low Carbon Devon to run the High Water event where 60 artists and scientists and others from all round the Uk and the world talked about their work and relation to the oceans,...

read more
Maps and Tides at Marpool School, Exmouth

Maps and Tides at Marpool School, Exmouth

Tides and Maps at Marpool School How does the tide work? What shape is the eastuary? How does a map work? Who is it for? We explored such questions as these in 2 days of workshops with one class from Marpool school, one day on location by the estuary making...

read more
To find the Exe tides reach

To find the Exe tides reach

Finding Tides Reach Exeter (by canoe, paddle board and motor vessel) Where does the tide reach in Exeter on a high tide? How does this affect Exeter, its inhabitants and the creatures that live in and move through these waters now, in the past and what about the...

read more