Stow Heath Haircut

With a mini-bioblitz scheduled for two days after this work party at Stow Heath, our main task was to cut back the grass and nettles dominating the track to the site, the parking area and the paths around the site. Before we could even drive cars down to the car park, three scythers set to work, clearing the track. Trevor then gave us our instructions and we all set off in different directions.

Mark moved a pile of fence posts from the track to the rest area, while Alan, Nigel and Maria gave the track a second cut and rake. Trevor set off in a clockwise direction, hacking his way through the nettles – at times having difficulty finding the path. Simon G went anti-clockwise, clearing the way until he met Trevor. Simon W, new volunteer David S and Val travelled in their wake, raking and clipping to ensure safe passage for visitors who might be unfamiliar with the site.

The parking area was given a first and a second cut so that, by 11.30, everything was pretty much shipshape and Bristol fashion (I’ve just googled this expression for its origins – I’ll let you do the same if you so wish).

Meanwhile, working quietly in the background, David H, fully wadered, was checking the water in the various ponds for signs of life, and he wrote …

“A worrying sight on my first visit this year to Stow Heath – water in the large new pond was invisible beneath a solid duckweed mat. Not even a native, but the (now very common) alien Lemma miniscula. Our smallest duckweed.

Undeterred, I donned my waders, pushed the duckweed aside and collected a net sample through the water, putting it in the tray to examine. Absolutely teeming with life – but 99% of it less than 1mm in size. Daphnia, the water flea.

There was very little else. The water probably has little oxygen, judging by the smell, because the bottom is seriously thick with decaying leaves. A good density of non-biting midge larvae (Chironomidae) and a good few lesser water boatmen (Corixidae), both detritus-feeders. The midges are red (“blood worms”) because they have haemoglobin to enable them to live in such conditions and the boatmen can fly in and away whenever they like. Quite a few diving beetle larvae (Dytiscidae), which come up to the surface for air, were hunting both the fleas and the midge larvae.

I thought there would be better luck in the more open ponds down at the lower end of the site, where they are fringed with yellow flag iris and access had been kindly provided by my colleague scythers. But not really - the same detritus-dominated food web with the only extras being frog tadpoles (not even newts to brighten my day).

Thank goodness for the doughnut half way through!”

Over time, water plants should establish in the ponds, which will improve the oxygenation and encourage a wider range of fauna. Some things happen almost overnight in nature, others take time…

During our coffee break, Tim Papworth, local farmer and chair of the Parish Council (which owns the site) dropped by and gave us a bit of the history of Stow Heath, and offered us full support and great appreciation for the work we do there – which was music to our ears.

The next work party will take place at the Sustead cluster on Thursday July 2nd.

Peter Maingay

July 19th 2026