Fires can spread rapidly damaging the environment

THEY say a picture speaks more than a thousand words.

- with John Dempsey

Maybe the one with today's column will get the message through - it was taken last week in prime protected sand dune habitat at Ainsdale. The dune system is usually bone dry once the summer months arrive especially after a period of prolonged drought.

Even though the weather has got a bit cloudier and cooler in the last week the threat of fire here is a constant. Sea breezes dry out pools and moisture evaporates quickly in the micro-climate of sheltered dune dips and ridges.

This protected habitat can be arid just a few hours after a morning shower if the winds are strong enough, snatching away moisture from the land. These dry, warm and sheltered conditions are precisely why the rare species that call the dune system home thrive here.