Reedbeds
Alongside the lake and pond margins at Cosmeston a valuable habitat can be found, wetlands and reedbeds, these habitats are a haven for all manner of wildlife.
Location: Cosmeston Lakes Country Park
T
he lake margin is a rich place for wildlife and home to unique plants that like to grow in wet, boggy conditions such as, Reed Mace, Yellow Flag Iris, Purple Loosestrife and the rare Greater Spearwort.
The reedbeds at Cosmeston are accessible by means of a boardwalk enabling visitors to view the plants and wildlife without causing any damage to the fragile habitat. Look out for a glimpse of the shy Water Rail running through reeds as you walk along the boardwalk.
The wetland, thick reed beds and lake margins also provide an excellent habitat for 16 different species of dragonfly and damselfly such as the Emperor and Migrant Hawker dragonfly and the Common Blue damselfly.
These amazing insects who were around at the time of the dinosaurs all start life as a larva underwater before emerging as the adult flying insects we commonly see hawking, chasing and darting through the reedbeds and along the waters edge hunting their prey.
A winter visitor to Cosmeston Lakes from East Anglia is the Bittern, this very rare bird prefers the thick cover of reedbeds and is seldom seen due to the fantastic camouflage of it's brown feathers. Other birds preferring this habitat are, Sedge Warbler and Reed Bunting along with the ducks and swans who all build their nests in the cover of the reedbeds.
To maintain this precious habitat the Ranger Service remove scrub vegetation and rotationally manage the reedbeds to attract as many wildlife species as possible and who knows, we may attract the rare Water Vole to Cosmeston in the near future.