Cassiobury Park

The wet habitats found on the reserve were once shallow watercress beds with a gravel base, fed with water from the river through a series of ditches.

These have developed into marshland and open pools, surrounded by wet woodland of alder and willow, some of which is periodically coppiced. This provides valuable cover and nesting sites for birds. There are also areas of grassland where birds such as goldfinches and greenfinches feed on the seed heads of thistles and teasels. Water rail, lesser spotted woodpeckers and siskins are typical birds here.

The lagoons and ditches are particularly rich in aquatic life with many different invertebrates, frogs and small fish such as minnows. Bullhead fish are found in the clear gravelly stretches of water, often under large pebbles.

In summer the reserve is full of luxuriant growth when the purple loosestrife is bright with flowers. Blue water forget-me-not and brooklime catch the eye closer to the water and there are also pink expanses of great hairy willow herb and a scattering of meadowsweet.

The Trust works with the owner, Watford Borough Council.