11" x 14" print - Plovers in the Dunes

Regular price $30.00

If you move carefully through coastal dunes of California, you may notice small grey-brown shore birds scurrying on the sand. Snowy Plovers (Charadrius nivosus) use coastal dunes for nesting habitat, food, and shelter. A healthy dune ecosystem may also include plants such as Yellow Sand Verbena (Abronia latifolia), Tidestrom's Lupine (Lupinus tidestromii), and Coast Buckwheat (Eriogonum latifolium). Coastal Buckwheat provides food and shelter for the caterpillars of the endangered Smith's Blue butterfly (Euphilotes enoptes smithi). Other species such as California Legless Lizard (Anniella pulchra negra) and Globose Dune Beetle (Coelus globosus) are also part of the rich diversity of the dune ecosystem.