Sadly, the Dwarf Spike Rush (Eleocharis parvula) remained an unseen rarity as it  eluded our efforts to find it on our expedition into the mud at Aveton Gifford on 1st July, mostly due on this occasion to a higher tide than expected (the plant only grows below Mean High Water).    

It is several years since the plant was last seen at this site, the only one in Devon from which it has been recorded.      A dense blanket of  an, as yet, unidentifed seaweed was covering much of the exposed mud and did not help our search.  Might this thick blanket have overwhelmed the Spike Rush?  Might this extremely rare plant – in UK terms – have died out?  Could this covering of weed be due to higher levels of nutrients in the water than previously?