Local Wildlife Site

Wildlife

Waterlow Park has a good variety of habitats, including three spring-fed ponds with overhanging trees and shrubs and marginal vegetation of willowherb, jointed rush, pendulous sedge, water figwort and bittersweet. Water birds present include coot, moorhen, mallard, mute swam, tufted duck and Canada goose. The restricted access south pond features a reed bed and a willow carr supporting a variety of nesting wildfowl. Beside the smallest of the ponds, to the north, is an area of damp grassland. Here marsh foxtail, floating sweet-grass, hairy sedge, creeping buttercup and common sorrel occur. Beside this damp grassland is an area of waste ground which resulted from placing pond dredging's over an old council yard. Here you can find tall herbs, ruderals and ephemerals and neutral grassland, including fool's-parsley, scarlet pimpernel, mugwort, wild turnip, shepherd's purse, great willowherb, hoary cress, annual mercury and various goosefoots. The park has a number of specimen trees, which include some fine copper beeches, maidenhair tree, Indian bean-tree, oak, ash, Persian ironwood and crack willow, as well as extensive planted shrubberies. Birds to be found at the site include nuthatch, kestrel and goldcrest.

Facilities

Information; events; exhibitions; educational activities; play areas; sculptures/ monuments; tennis courts; netball courts; toilets; café; community orchard; community garden