Wolves Wild

A Canada goose from the West Park flock stands on one foot on a narrow fallen log, twisting its neck so that its beak probes the feathers at the base of one if its wings as it preens.

Flowers on an elder growing right by the boardwalk across the Compton Park pond. Those flowers which opened earlies had already moved on, and the first stages of the formation of elderberries can be seen.

When the pool and wetland area in Compton Park was first created, the mix of vegetation planted still left plenty of open water. Among the other species attracted in these early years were lots of different types of damselflies and dragonflies, including these common blue damselflies.

Quite rapidly, the vegetation took over, so that in recent years there was very little visible open water at all. Mallards and moorhens stopped nesting there. Fewer and fewer damselflies and dragonflies, representing fewer and fewer species, put in an appearance.

Finally, some effort has been put into managing the pond. An area of open water has been recreated. Will it have been enough to attract back some of the missing insects?

Yellow flag iris flowers on the pond at Compton Park. The bee in the first picture was emerging backwards from the flower.

A gathering of snails clinging together to a fence post by one of the stiles giving access to the Smestow Valley LNR’s Railway Walk.

The petals had now fallen from the first flower on this garden poppy. The developing seed head can be seen rising above this second flower in one of the pictures.