A Pond is more than just Water

Water is essential for a pond, but pond creatures make all the difference

21st November 2023

For today's Wilderness Wildlife Adventure I'm going to literally and metaphorically take the plunge. The literal plunge will involve pulling on my wellies and getting into the new ponds, which were only refilled with rainwater a few weeks ago. The metaphorical version refers to discovering whether or not those self same ponds have any pond life in them yet. I'm tingling with excitement!

Arriving at Wilderness Wood things get off to a bad start – a large yellow lorry blocks the entrance. I ask the driver if he is about to leave, since I can see that his lorry is now empty of the Christmas trees he has just delivered. His answer is in Polish, which I don't speak. His tone however does not sound encouraging. I decide to park nearby and walk instead. Once parked I survey my equipment and consider throwing in towel - not pond dipping after all. However, positivity wins and I assemble my pond dipping gear before plodding down to the new ponds.

Essential equipment - tray, pots, tea spoons, magnifiers and (of course) a pond net

Things are looking up – they are still full of water, but the low temperature is not encouraging. Is it possible for life to find its way to water in November when a month or two ago they were merely a dried brown crust? One good sign is water starwort and broad-leaved pond weed which are already snaking up from the bottom of the pond to the surface. This stuff must have survived the summer drought as seed. But is anybody else home?

A flash of black tells me at least one diving beetle is about. It doubtless flew here and hopefully laid eggs which have since hatched into aquatic beetle larvae. I try to net it, but it's too fast.

I decide to change tack - opting for scientific and methodical - as I sweep my net through the water, just skimming the mud on the bottom. There are often large numbers of wriggly things in the top centimetre of mud, but too much of it and I won't be able to see anything once it is transferred to my tray.

I see nothing. The omens are bad.

Perhaps it would be worth removing some of the dead leaves. I set about doing this, carefully washing the leaf surfaces in case small creatures are stuck to them. Suddenly a lesser waterboatman flashes across my line of sight and immediately disappears under some more leaves. A good start, so I methodically remove the rest of them, leaving my one water bug exposed. Now it is time to employ a teaspoon and stealthily snare him in 5ml of pond water and transfer it to a pot.

Lesser Waterboatman - they have piercing mouthparts to suck plant sap

Patience brings its own rewards when pond dipping. Stare long enough at a tray of pond water and things start to appear. First a diving beetle larva and then a bloodworm (tubifex). Next I spot water fleas, tiny magicians which clear the water of algae and serve themselves up as food for the lesser waterboatman and beetles. I move to another spot, having stirred the water to a brown murk at my first location. I'm in luck, further lesser waterboatmen, a cased-caddis larva and numerous beetle larvae.

I am elated and the maxim “build it and they will come” rings in my ears. Yes ponds are to wildlife as football stadia are to football fans – they are streaming in!

The fans are streaming into the pond!

I don't need to dip any further. Now its time to inspect my catch. Putting on my specs I behold a shining throng. Ok, I'm getting a bit carried away by the forthcoming nativity celebrations, but minute pond life is no less of a miracle - once decent optics are employed to see them. I'll take them home and examine them under a microscope later.

Carefully dipping my teaspoon into the tray I extract a score of beetle larvae, each no more than a centimetre in length. The adult I saw earlier is probably responsible for them. As I spoon them into a pot I get a sense of how the disciples felt when told to cast their nets on the other side. Faith is rewarded, perhaps not with bulging nets of fish, but the excitement of this catch is no different.

A diving beetle larva (Dytiscus) - with its big jaws a fully grown one can take down a newt

Greed, or perhaps overexuberance on my part, then get the better of me and I decide to try my luck in the upper of the ponds. A slip of the foot and I'm almost swimming with the water babies, but just catch myself in time. Taking a bit more care I trawl the water starwort growing in profusion here and empty my catch into the tray. Now it's just a matter of watching and waiting.

The upper pond - rich in invertebrates amongst the water weed

My final list of pond invertebrates includes:

A. Lesser Waterboatman

B. Diving Beetle – adult

C. Diving beetle – larvae

D.Tubifex (bloodworm)

E. Sand-cased caddis fly larvae

F. Midge larvae

G. Water fleas

H. Cyclops

Composite photo showing the different pond creatures - not all to the same scale (letters above)

Eventually my inactivity and the cold air get too much for me, as my wellingtoned feet turn numb and I decide to return back to the barn.

I pass a family with small children playing nearby. They have been watching me for a few minutes on bended knee, apparently deep in contemplation. I wonder if they think I'm some sort of religious nut hiding in the woods. In a way I suppose I am, if pond dipping can be classed as a religion.

Please don’t bring pond nets to Wilderness Wood. All manner of unwanted invasive species and diseases can be transmitted from pond to pond. Why not create your own small pond and find out who lives there? You’ll be helping wildlife too.

David Horne

Follow my exploration of the England Coast Path on www.leggingroundbritain.com