The Knapp Nature Pond

The Knapp Nature Pond, also referred to as the Lower Knapp Pond, is situated between Winslade Road, Station Road, adjacent to Station Road (B3176), just south of Alexandria Road.The pond was created as part of a small nature reserve established by the East Devon District Council (EDDC) in 1992. The Sid Vale Association (SVA) persuaded EDDC to make this area a nature reserve with a pond after bungalow development on land called ""Deane's Meadow"" (later ""Deans Mead"") destroyed a historical footpath.The pond is approximately 500 square feet and was constructed with a concrete lining. Initially, it was filled and regularly supplied with mains water, controlled by a stopcock. Three ""stepping stones"" were built to provide public access, allowing visitors, particularly children, to look into the pond and net tadpoles. It has a deepest section of over three feet, and its sides are sloping without shelves for easy planting.It was initially well-loved by the local community but over the years, due to a lack of management, the pond became overgrown with plants, resulting in very little open water. In early 2018, research into the neglected pond began, revealing a dense mat of Australian Swamp Stonecrop (Crassula helmsii), a highly invasive plant, covering more than half of the pond. A group of volunteers undertook the task of completely clearing the pond in 2018, which required over a hundred ""person hours"". This involved using an electric pump, saws for rhizome roots, knives and secateurs for vegetation, and buckets for mud.Contaminated plants, including ""Yellow Flag Iris"", ""Greater"" and ""Lesser Reedmace"", and ""Purple Loosestrife"", were removed and covered with the Australian Stonecrop to kill them. Some original plants were successfully saved and replanted using repaired pond baskets from 1992.The pond's first visitor, a ""Lesser Water Boatman"", was observed within two weeks of refilling. Donated water lilies were planted in 2019, with their leaves helping to reduce algal growth by limiting light penetration. The root systems of various plants also help by taking nitrates from the water.It is a habitat where palmate newts, frogs, and beetles are thriving and breeding well. It also serves as a nursery for dragonfly and damselfly larvae. Caddis fly larvae, considered a good indicator of a healthy pond, are also thriving, along with multiple varieties of snails, leeches, and worms.