May Update 2024

Posted retrospectively

Text previously posted in Charlton Down Nature Area and Orchard Facebook page.

May 4th – The Nature Area is well on the road to recovery. This evening everything looks great. Just got to say that our new pond is really coming alive right now. In the past hour I have been amazed by what I have seen. The pond creatures seem to like the warmth of this sunny evening. I saw large and small tadpoles by the thousand (probably both frogs and toads) writhing around in the shallows and massing in the starwort waterweed; a newt; water boatmen; pond skaters; whirly-gig beetles; large and small adult diving beetles; a beetle larva eating a tadpole; rams-horn and great pond snails. Myriads of small moths and other insects on the wing or basking on leaves in sunny spots. The birds were chattering away, and the white frothy blossoms of cow parsley glowed in the sunshine.

May 18th – The pond is developing very nicely now, even though it is early days. New plants such as hemp agrimony, penny royal, marsh marigold, water forget-me-not, purple loosestrife, slender tufted sedge, and lesser spearwort have been placed in the shallower areas of the bog part and main part of the pond. Oxygenators (mainly water crowfoot) have been placed in the deeper parts to keep the water clean and healthy. Bog bean, water lily, starwort, and Lemna have survived from the old pond. More planting both in and around the pond is planned.

All this is encouraging the insects and other aquatic creatures. Yesterday I spotted newly emerged Broad-bodied Chaser dragonflies, one of the 10 species of Odonata recorded so far in the Nature Area.