Ever since I first saw this plant on Pensarn beach in Denbighshire, I have looked for other specimens. Contrary to what Stace says it has now completely disappeared from Denbigh. There was one large plant on Pensarn beach, Abergele and I reckon I was the last person to see it alive and well.
It was in full flower on the day I found it and looked magnificent. It was the first time I had seen Mertensia. I went further down the beach to do some plant hunting and when I returned an hour or so later to take a last look, I found it had been ripped apart (by a dog it looked like). The next year there was no trace of the plant at that well-known site but a few smaller plants were found further East on the beach. A year or so later the great storms came and washed everything away. The locals blame car parking but actually it was the weather and uncontrolled dogs. It is a northern plant and according to research the nutlets (seeds) must have a prolonged period in the cold sea water below 5C and then some time on cold pebbly beach. It's too warm now and it will never return.
This plant is counted as rare but we found very little of it on Orkney where it is supposed to occur in large numbers. The other site where it is supposed to grow in reasonable numbers is on Ballantrae shingle spit in South Ayrshire where we counted about six plants.
I would bet that someone soon will show that this plant is now much rarer than is currently supposed.
Ballantrae Shingle Spit 19th May 2003
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Amended December 5th 2004