Sundew

Some pictures from a few years ago taken at Thursley Common, a National Nature Reserve, came up on my Facebook memories feed, so I headed over for the afternoon to see what had changed.

One major change is that it is now designated one of "The King's Series" National Nature Reserves declared by HM King Charles III and proclaimed on 27th June 2025.  Hopefully this will offer the area even more protection than it currently has.

The dry hot weather has also had an impact, with the wetlands area much reduced and fewer dragons around than I saw of my visit in 2022.  Though I note that too was a dry year;  the boardwalks have now been fully restored.

This pretty plant took my eye, found sitting among the soggy sphagnum mosses on an old tree trunk in a bog pool off one of the boardwalks. It feeds on insects which get trapped on the sticky "sundew" which gives it its name. Look large to see the detail.