The Pond in September

Garry Prescott, a volunteer at Charlton Down Nature Area, has started taking a series of aerial photographs to demonstrate how much the Nature Area changes through the year from season to season, and also as we enhance its biodiversity by altering management practices.

Here we can see a bird’s eye view of our wonderful new wildlife pond that was rebuilt in February this year. You can see the main pond in the lower part and the smaller bog area above. A wooden foot bridge divides the two habitat areas. The design of the new pond is clearly seen from the air, with its shallow shelf around the sides, and deeper water in the middle. A gently shelving slope has been created on one side, with small pebbles like a beach, to enable wild birds and animals of every size to enter and leave the water safely.

A surprising number of species have colonised or visited the water this summer. We have been seeing whirlygig and great diving beetles, water boatmen, pond skaters, frogs, newts, and toads. Many insects, particularly dragonflies and damselflies have laid eggs among the aquatic vegetation – the larvae or nymphs will be lurking in the bottom sediments by now.

The water quality and clarity remains good due to the number of submerged oxygenating plants like starwort and water crowfoot, and the grazing activities of dozens of pond and ramshorn snails that have kept algae at bay. The waterlilies have been a pretty sight from the beginning, and we have been busy planting marginal plants such as yellow iris, purple loosestrife and marsh marigold to enrich the area for wildlife. It has been a very successful first six months but now the pond is entering its winter phase when plants and invertebrates tend to hibernate and sink to the bottom.

We are hoping to develop a protected marginal strip of native flowering plants around the edge of the pond and bog area. Work will start on that next week and continue through the next couple of months.