The dunes are home to many species which are perfectly adapted to live in the naturally shifting sand.
From toads and lizards to butterflies and orchids, there are many different species that our work will help to protect. Some are rare while others are more common, but each of these species are specially adapted for life in a healthy sand dune environment. Meet some of our dune wildlife below, learn about the kinds of dune habitats they live in, and the conservation actions we’re taking to protect them.
Early Gentian
Related to the dune gentian (Gentianella uliginosa), I am a tiny plant, no more than an inch or two tall, which lives in dune grassland.
Fen Orchid
In June, my tiny yellow flowers add sunny splashes of colour to the landscape, but there are very few habitats left in the UK that I can live in!
Great Crested Newt
Sand dunes are a great place for me to live, especially when the dune system is made up of a mosaic of different habitat
Grey Seal
One of the most famous animals to live on the Lincolnshire coast, but I’m also one of the rarest seals in the world!
Natterjack Toad
My rough, warty skin is olive green and brown, and I have a long yellow line on my back.
Northern Dune Tiger Beetle
Can you see the large mandibles, a bit like pincers, near my mouth? I use these to dismember my prey!
Rabbit
I used to live in lots of dune habitats all across the UK, where I was an important part of life in the dunes: my grazing would keep grassland short and by digging my burrows, I would keep patches of sand bare and encourage sand movement through the dunes.
