Vinegar Pond
Vinegar Pond is the site of a former sand and gravel pit.
It may have been enlarged by tank manoeuvres in WW2. It is mostly fed by rainwater.
Mustard Pond
Mustard Pond was created in 2016 at the western end of Long Valley. It now hosts wildlife although not much may be visible due to frequent disturbance. Pesticide treatments on dog fur will destroy insect life in ponds.
Frogs spawning in Vinegar Pond, 2017. Amphibians have to go back to water to breed, and this is the best place on the Heath for that – so it can get a bit crowded in Spring!
A Common Frog, well camouflaged in grassy leaf litter. Grass Snakes are among their many predators – in fact where there are frogs there are bound to be the snakes, and vice versa.
Pond skaters skim across the surface, hunting insect prey and sometimes even tadpoles. They can fly to another pond if needs be.
Murky pond water can support a huge amount of microscopic life. This is Volvox, a colony of algal cells near the bottom of the foodchain. The scale is 0.3 mm long.
Green strands of filamentous algae are sometimes the only visible life in the pond. This is because of high levels of suspended clay particles and disturbance. (Magnification)
The Ruddy Darter has a distinctive, blood-red body and black legs. It is easily approached and so makes a good photographic subject.
The Broad-bodied Chaser can often be seen returning to a favourite perch. The males are very territorial and readily engage in aerial combats.
All images courtesy the author, unless otherwise indicated.
