The sea spurge (Euphorbia paralias) is a common plant in the coastal dune cord on the beach sands. The pioneer vegetation of this ecosystem is very sparse, using as nutrients detritus carried by Spring high tide water.

Walking around the Óbidos lagoon one morning in August, I marvelled to see this plant that occupied a small dune area. The leaves are red at the base, gradually changing to green at the top of the stems that bear small yellow flowers. The plant can be erect or bend and touch the sand. The colour of the sand contrasted with the deep blue of the sky, totally clean.

The sun was still relatively low, and the shadows of the plants on the sand highlighted the undulating profile of the stems. A vaguely reptilian image came to my mind when I saw this wonderful plant on the beach sands. The moment was captured with a Canon EOS 77D and a 24 mm lens.