Pond seeding and click beetles

The unfurling fronds of Hard Fern are a common site at this time of year

23rd May 2023

I arrive at Wilderness Wood armed with an ice cream tub under my arm.  

“Are you giving away ice cream?” Tyler asks rather hopefully, but I have to disappoint him since it is full of water from my pond at home. 

My intention is to inoculate the lower Penstock Ponds with the microorganisms in my healthy pond water, in the hope that they will multiply and gobble-up the algae/blanket weed which has appeared over the last month.  The warm and sunny weather has induced the algae to 'bloom', especially since the phosphate and nitrate levels in the Wilderness Stream have been elevated by the increasing visitor numbers, which rise in direct proportion to the thermometer readings (see Orchids, water levels and Icelandic visitors – 16/5/2023, for an explanation).

On arrival at the ponds, much to my surprise (and joy), I discover much of the algae has gone.  I suspect the tadpoles may have had something to do with this, since it is a key part of their diet at this stage in their development.  

The lower pond has cleared of algae but awaits its mantle of green marginal vegetation

Managing pond nutrient levels is a major challenge.  The recent outrage over the state of the UK's rivers (from sewage and animal poo) is testament to this.  This over-supply of nutrients is called 'eutrophication'.  Another headache is that the Wilderness Stream will probably run dry over the next few weeks, so I make the decision to redirect its waters into the Penstock Ponds.  It may add nutrients to the pond, but the water it adds will be vital to the developing tadpoles and other wildlife dependent upon it.

The beech trees have all flowered this last week, casting their spent blooms onto the pond surface.  This (along with leaves in the autumn) is another unwanted source of nutrients.  It's ironic that gardeners and farmers spend their lives adding nutrients to the soil, but Mother Nature can easily be over-run by too much of the stuff!  Ideally I should clear the beech flowers off the pond, but waders or a boat are required for this mud-larking escapade. 

The blooms of Beech trees add unwanted nutrient to an already nutrient rich pond

I place my ice-cream tub under a small cascade of stream water and it half-fills in 3 seconds.  By my calculations this equates to about 15,000 litres per day, so perhaps we can hold-out until the next rains – whenever they come.  In reality I suspect we will see little rain from now on.   I just hope the tadpoles can complete their life-cycle before the ponds dry out.  At least once they metamorphose into 'froglets' they can hop off to a damper, shadier part of the wood.

It is gratifying to see that lesser spearwort, figwort, water starwort, rush, yellow pimpernel, bluebells and foxglove are all thriving since the creation of these ponds.  More flowers and animals will surely follow in the coming years.

Lesser Spearwort - an early coloniser of our newfound wetland areas

I turn my attention to preparations for Thursday's Icelandic leaky dam-building session.  I need to source materials - old off-cuts of logs and pliable fresh-cut wood from coppicing.  There's lots of the former scattered around the wood, whilst Jake has kindly donated a load of the latter from earlier coppicing activity.  Should we need to, we can cut smaller bits for weaving from nearby stools.  These need to be cut anyway, as part of our ride widening project.  So it's 'win-win'.

After a bit of 'grunting' I decide to take a rest on the bench placed on the Cross Ride, opposite the bottom of Christmas Tree field.  A number of bright rusty orange coloured insects fly across my line of sight.  I wonder if they are moths or flies – but they are neither.  One settles on my trousers and folds it's orange wings under its brown wing cases.  I can see that it is in-fact a click beetle.  These dull brown 'bugs' may be flamboyant in flight, perhaps to attract a mate, but are a dirty brown colour for the rest of their time.   Click beetles are so named because of their escape mechanism when threatened - they spring high into the air, emitting a 'click' sound as they do.

A click beetle

As the dinner bell sounds I am on the lookout for twayblade orchids in The Christmas Tree Field.  I count 13 of these, many of which are now in full flower.  Not a flamboyant flower by any means, but such a welcome addition to Wilderness Wood's plant list.