Wigpool reserve received another visit from us on a very bright but frosty day. There were more willow and hawthorn trees to remove and their stumps painted with herbicide to prevent them from re-growing.

The pond is gradually being taken over by Typha which are known in Britain as bulrush, bullrush, or reedmace and will need to be dredged at some stage to stop them from spreading. It spreads by rhizomes, forming dense stands often to the exclusion of other plants.

Typha plants grow along lake margins and in marshes, often in dense colonies, and are sometimes considered a weed in managed wetlands. The plant's root systems help prevent erosion, and the plants themselves are often home to many insects, birds and amphibians. The disintegrating heads are used by some birds to line their nests.