Fullers Vale Wildlife Pond Association

I was alerted by a sharp-eyed local resident to this bike which had appeared in the middle of our pond. I popped down to fish it out with our grass-raking grapnel and while I was there, I had a look around to see what was going on.

I was delighted to see hundreds of small fish but due to their size, muddiness of the water and complete lack of cooperation on their part I couldn’t identify them. How they got there in those numbers is a mystery, because the pond dried up only a few years ago.

We are blessed by some very beautiful wild flowers which although they can be very small they make up for that by their lovely colours and form, and also some brilliant names. I use the free PlantNet app on my phone to identify them, and I much prefer the common names so that’s what I’ll use.

This needs no introduction, but the display of foxgloves by the pond is spectacular. The bees love them.

This one is less obvious but the name makes up for it: Broadleaf Enchanter’s Nightshade:

You might think this is a buttercup, but this is a special type of buttercup called St. Anthony’s Turnip. I’m not sure why!

Another very tiny one, a very small type of geranium called Little Robin.

Apparently, plants with “wort” in their name have healing properties so you can probably guess what Hedge Woundwort was used for:

Finally, the most spectacular of all and easiest to photograph if the damselflies could please get out of the way: Yellow Flag

Here’s a quick update on the long-awaited work by Hampshire County Council Highways on our pond. They arrived in March as promised but had to go away until a DNA check on the water indicated there were no protected species present. They returned in May to do the scheduled work to clear the reeds which were choking the top quarter of the pond and remove the silt. In addition, they have been clearing the pipes and gullies into and out of the pond. We have also won a new gate to replace the broken fence section!

The work was done strictly in accordance not only with wildlife legislation but also the guidance given by the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. The work was limited to one quarter of the pond which meant that there was a clear escape route for any wildlife into the much larger undisturbed area which was strictly off-limits for the workmen. I was very pleased to see that these environmental protection requirements were observed to the letter by the contractors. I was also impressed by their professionalism and obvious concern for the environment. These guys are contracted by HCC Highways as pond specialists and do this type of work all the time. I was expecting a lot more damage to plants around the pond but because they used a floating digger-tank, disturbance was minimal.

The net result is that we have a much larger area of water now which will be attractive to ducks and other pond creatures for many years to come. We still have more grass raking in the main pond area to do in the autumn but now we have discovered the winning technique this will be a lot easier!

Bank Holiday Monday 5^th May was the 100^th Anniversary Celebration for the Headley Village Hall. There were stalls on the Village Green and lots of activities in the Hall to recognise the many and varied community uses of the building over the years. FVWPA took a space on the Green to promote our activities and despite the cold wind and occasional showers, we had a great time!

Our faithful gazebo came out again, and we have salvaged some display panels which we used to create a display of our history and plans for the future. We organised a Treasure Hunt for the smaller children and a Word Search game for the older ones. Hugo wouldn’t miss a public appearance for the world, and he did a great job supervising activities.

We would like to thank those that made such generous donations and we welcomed new Friends to the FVWPA. Thanks also to the Volunteers who helped man the stall during the day, even though it was rather cold at times! We hope to meet new and current Volunteers at our next event which will be a Balsam Bash, some time in the next couple of months when the flowers appear. Details will be circulated nearer the time.

Spring is an incredible season for all wild areas, and particularly ponds. Although the land around our pond might look very green, hidden among the new grass and leaves are some very beautiful flowers, even if some of them are very small! Here are a few that I spotted in early May.

Our heading photo is Arum maculatum which is the posh name for Lords & Ladies. In the autumn the flower will have become a mass of highly toxic red berries which will be very easy to spot!

Other flowers I noticed were Common wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella)

Wood violet (Viola riviniana)

Wood Speedwell (Veronica montana)

Using Latin names makes it appear that I know what I am writing about but that is far from the case. I use an excellent App called PlantNet, which is free and absolutely devoid of advertising.

Hugo was very disappointed that I forgot to take him to our Quiz Night, so I have to make it up to him by letting him man (or heron) our table at the Headley Greening Campaign Launch Meeting. This will be held on Tuesday 18th February at 8pm in the Church Centre, Headley. Here’s the agenda:

1. Introduction by Headley CAN
2. Short contribution from one of our very junior community members
3. An overview of the Greening Campaign, the Five Pillars and free services available by Terena Plowright
4. Q&A
5. Opportunity to look in more detail at each of the five pillars that interest you and meet the Headley CAN Leads:
   • Space For Nature
   • Energy Efficient Warmer Homes
   • Health Impact of Climate change
   • Cycle of the Seed
   • Waste Prevention

Tea/Coffee/Nibbles will be available. Do come along to find out more, and sign up if you want to be involved in the free services, guest lectures and training that is being provided over the next 12 months as part of the Greening Campaign. There are practical things we can all be a part of that are fun and make a real difference.

Hugo is getting very excited. He doesn’t get out much in the winter so he and I are both looking forward to seeing you.

Neville Merritt, Deputy Chairman FVWPA