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indigenous beauty bares all: |
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ben rigsby Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 No. of posts: 337  View other posts by ben rigsby |
Posted: 25 Aug 2010 im really pleased to have this native plant in my amphibian pond. in my very well thumbed copy of Roger Phillips fabulous Wild Flowers book, the author describes it as "rather rare". ive had it so long i cant remember where it came from. i probably lifted it from some SSSI or other. JOKE! its blooms look like theyre made of linen. and it certainly lives up to its name; FRINGED WATERLILY (NYMPHOIDES PELTATA) 
ben Diversity. |
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Suzi Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 No. of posts: 860 View other posts by Suzi |
Posted: 25 Aug 2010 Grows on Exeter canal if I recall. Suz |
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ben rigsby Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 No. of posts: 337 View other posts by ben rigsby |
Posted: 25 Aug 2010 hi suz, exeters got a canal? shows what i know. the fringed is not a true waterlily and shouldnt be confused with the yellow waterlily or "brandy bottle" (nuphar lutea) which is similar but has the largest leaves of any uk aquatic plant and likes deeper water. im not doubting you if you know what you saw though! 
ben Diversity. |
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Suzi Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 No. of posts: 860 View other posts by Suzi |
Posted: 26 Aug 2010 I definitely saw the yellow fringed one. Here's a link to a pic of them there. http://www.clear-mind-photos.com/wild_flowers_-_menyanthacea e/fringed_water-lily_070722.htm Suz |
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David Bird Forum Specialist Joined: 17 Feb 2003 No. of posts: 515 View other posts by David Bird |
Posted: 26 Aug 2010 I think that the general census of opinion is that it is a native of ponds and slow rivers and the fens of East Anglia and also in the Thames basin. It has been naturalised in scattered places across the U.K. and in some places can become a bit of a pest with the way it grows with long straggly stems. There is a very large pond in Poole where it grows and covers acres of water slowing down the flow and allowing the sediment from rainfall on Canford heath to become deposited and the pond is gradually silting up, this is a completely natural process of succession but this plant is accelerating it which is not good for the pond and aquatic animals in the long term. 
Hatch Pond, Poole, Dorset with Nymphoides peltata flowering in the background. Normal Water Lillies in the foreground. British Herpetological Society Librarian and member of B.H.S Conservation Committee. Self employed Herpetological Consultant and Field Worker. |
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Suzi Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 No. of posts: 860 View other posts by Suzi |
Posted: 26 Aug 2010 David's mention of Canford Heath reminds me of when I saw things differently. I worked at Hamworthy Engineering in Poole 1970-72 and a friend or two were buying houses nearby on Canford Heath then. I viewed the house building as an improvement on the scrappy looking heathland! How I regret that viewpoint now. Suz |
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ben rigsby Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 No. of posts: 337 View other posts by ben rigsby |
Posted: 26 Aug 2010 sorry suze couldnt see your link. im hopeless on the computer. i tried but it wasnt having it. can you help? id like to see the pic. FWL not "rather rare" after all then guys? i dont see it in this area much. still glad to have it. as ive said, not invasive in my pond. so far. we all have regrets if we are honest suz. i wiped out a thriving LV colony single-handedly by collecting as a boy and i think about my crime sometimes. i also know a keen herp seeker in their seventies (he cycles miles to sites) who feels bad about having killed adders when he was young and uneducated. unlike me and him, at least you didnt DO anything. thanks for the info david. your fountain is always appreciated. soothing pond scene in your pic too. i wonder how long FWL has been at the Poole site? ben Diversity. |
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Suzi Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 No. of posts: 860 View other posts by Suzi |
Posted: 27 Aug 2010 Ben you could try copy/pasting the link into your address bar. No at least I wasn't building the houses on Canford Heath! Suz |
- indigenous beauty bares all |