Tag Archives: Leech

Conservation, Natural History

Pond-Skimming Reveals Hornwort, Newts, Pondweed, Water Scorpion, Leeches

Pond-skimming. Netty is rescuing pondweed and animals especially damselfly nymphs to return them to the water.

We spent the time skimming off as much of the duckweed that was blanketing the surface of the pond as possible using pole nets. The idea is to let light filter down to the bottom of the pond to encourage the more delicate pondweeds. In the process, we had a good opportunity to check the status of some of the pond life that we don’t usually get to see, as the underwater plants are rather few beside the boardwalk – most likely because the continual sampling keeps them from growing much. But the rest of the pond is another story.

Rigid Hornwort, its shoots stiff as if covered in limescale
Canadian pondweed
Damselfly nymph with leaflike tail appendages
A stubby damselfly nymph with spiky tail appendages

There were at least two kinds of damselfly nymph, possibly bluetail and azure damselflies, judging by a pondside look at the book without a handlens. The little camera in close-up mode is just about capable of resolving detail at this scale, given good light. The various damselfly nymphs have differently-shaped tail appendages, which the book says are diagnostic.

Leaflike tail appendages of a long slender damselfly nymph, with feathery venation just about visible: I must have a look with the microscope and book!

We also caught a newt or two. We carefully put all the minibeasts and interesting bits of pondweed back in the water.

Hoglouse
Leech on finger 1
Leech on finger 2
A fine big Water Scorpion
Natural History

Pondlife and Mating Insects after Spring Rain

Leech and Hawker Dragonfly exuviae

Since our Hawker Dragonflies (Migrant and Southern Hawkers) fly later in the year, we think this exuviae (cast skin) has survived the winter. It may have been hooked on to a plant just above the waterline, and only fallen into the pond with recent disturbance.

Mating Sawflies on Nettle

Sawflies look quite wasplike in their black and yellow, but have no narrow “waist” at the base of the abdomen – they’re pretty much the same width all the way along. All the waisted Hymenoptera evolved from Sawflies.

Mating Bugs on Nettle
Roman Snail crawling in open after rain

We’ve now seen three Roman Snails in different parts of the reserve, after none in the past few years, so either the weather has brought them out, or more likely someone released their pet snails when they no longer wanted them. As the name suggests, the species has been in Britain since the Romans, who introduced them for food. We’re happy to see this handsome species here, but all the same it does constitute an introduction to a nature reserve…