Country diary: It’s not easy, finding grass seeds in a river – but this search matters | Claire Stares

Calshot, Hampshire: Underwater meadows are vanishingly rare habitats, so I join a group who are gathering eelgrass seed to help restore themIt’s 6.30am and I’m wading knee-deep in the River Solent, searching for common eelgrass (Zostera marina) seed. I meander through the shallows, scanning the underwater meadow for something no bigger than my little finger.I’ve been shown photos of the seed-bearing spathes, but at first the sheer expanse of leaves is overwhelming. I try combing my fingers through them, feeling for the fleshy flowering spikes, but come up empty-handed. Continue reading...