Highbury Park Friends

The park is dominated by grassland. It is at first sight a simple green sward, but on closer inspection, the diversity shown in the different flower and moss species give clues to the underlying geology and soils, the dampness and even the land use history of the area. The old hedgerows with hawthorn and mature oak trees link with the areas of scrub and trees. In the spring, typical woodland plants can be found including Pignut, Bluebell and Dog’s mercury, the latter being a particularly special plant as it is an indicator of old woodland.

The pools are all quite different in character the southwestern pond also known as the Lily Pond supported spiked water-milfoil in 1990 but has recently become colonised by New Zealand stone-crop a small plant sold in garden centres for ponds but which has become a menace when released into the wild staying green throughout the winter, it can outcompete other wetland plants.

The central pond is surrounded by ornamental woodland of beech, ash, oak, crack willow, alder, sycamore etc. The damp, rocky inflow area has a lining of mosses and liverworts and Water Starwort can be spotted in the pool. The bank supports Wood Melick an unusual and attractive woodland grass.

The Northwestern pond is all but dried out and shaded with Branched bur-reed, Yellow Flag and variegated canary-grass.