Rushy beck

Just outside the village of Dunston, in an otherwise unassuming sheep-grazed field, two spring-fed pools feed a crystal-clear rushy beck, filled with water-cress, fool's water-cress and lesser spearwort, a species which has declined significantly and is now considered to be vulnerable in England. The neighbouring beck, which is larger and deeper, runs in a largely willow-shaded channel, and has reefs of tufa.

Pete and Chris are carrying out invertebrate surveys of a number of springs and seepages in Lincolnshire for the Environment Agency, and I'm tagging along as it allows me access to areas I wouldn't otherwise easily be able to survey. As well as finding a large population of lesser spearwort, I also found a smaller population of tawny sedge, a species last recorded in South Lincolnshire in 1972, so a very worthwhile day for me!