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"Strength shows not only in the ability to persist, but in the ability to start over." - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Writer's picture: S.W.A.M.P.S.W.A.M.P.

Our unshrinking band of S.W.A.M.P. community volunteers took to their duties once again on a bitterly cold early afternoon in January.

With the water far too cold to entertain any thoughts of removing Crassula and Parrot's Feather, the duties of the day were to carefully pollard three of the willows.


We were also delighted to be visited by Polly Mair, who showed interest in our pond and willows, later writing this about her observations:


"I visited Morston Pond on a bright but cold afternoon on 20th January 2025. The plan was to search for evidence of the Willow Emerald damselfly which is expanding its range in the UK, having established a breeding population here from mainland Europe about 15 years ago.


Morston Pond has a number of willow trees growing around the banks and the pond is open to the sun and looked very promising for the presence of Willow Emerald Damselflies; I used binoculars to scan the willow twigs that were overhanging the water. What I found was numerous signs of egg-laying scars on twigs around the pond (see example photo below). The Willow Emerald is the only damselfly in the UK to lay eggs into bark. In April or May, when the water has warmed up, larvae will emerge from the scars and drop into the pond, developing into nymphs before emerging a few months later and transforming into adult damselflies during the summer and autumn. The cycle will then start all over again.


These egg scars have been reported to The British Dragonfly Society via iRecord (a national database for wildlife sightings)."


Polly also supplied us with the following images she had taken - the first of one of our willow branches and the second of Willow Emerald damselfly.


We will keep an eye on developments on all our pond biodiversity this coming year.

A satisfying task and a suitable end to the first outing of the New Year.

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