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The motivation for this visit was mainly dragonflies and damselflies but unfortunately the weather was on the indifferent side with cloud and showers. Nevertheless a few breaks in the cloud cover produced enough warmth to generate some damselfly activity. Blue tailed and emerald were abundant with a few scarce blue-tailed thrown in for good measure. There were no dragonflies on the wing. Some stone turning produced a good population of great diving beetle.
Botanically the lake is notable for its wide margins of the non-native aquatic plant New Zealand pygmyweed. From within the beds of pygmyweed, shoreweed, marsh pennywort and lesser spearwort could be found. A large stand of bottle sedge is on the lakes western shore.
The return route is steep and strenuous, but flanked by ancient and veteran beech and oak trees. Several family parties of stonechat were present where gorse dominated sheep pasture blends with bracken slopes. A boundary apple tree was starting to produce fruit.
Leaving the reserve through a field gate there was a good population marsh cudweed growing from the bare soil of well worn wheel ruts. Beyond small area where most visitor park their cars. Here I noticed a rather innocuous looking pebble, but on its reverse was a brightly painted smiley face.
