36
over 200 metres (or yards) from the dam
and pendulous sedge and coltsfoot are
among the colonisers. A 30-year old map
shows stretches of open land here. Deser-
ted ant hills under the canopy of thin
trees and scrub are reminders of the rough
grassland in which they once thrived.
On to the horse-ride at Bellringers Hollow
(or Pigs Bottom) where the sun came out and
brought with it a peacock butterfly and a
comma butterfly, which settled to give us a
good, close view. Then westwards, upstream
and uphill to the triangular "Reservoir
Pond" at Goldings Hill. Its lower, arti-
ficial bank is made of puddled clay. We
saw our only patch of wood sorrel (not in
flower) in damp earth below the dam.
Willow scrub has invaded and encroached
the other two sides. Nearby, and near the
Wake Arms/Loughton Road, is Goldings Fill
Pond, another old gravel pit. This was,
last year, mechanically cleaned by contrac-
tors, important plant samples having first
been recorded and removed for safe keeping.
There is now an area of land taped off, with
the caution to beware of soft silt dumped
in old hollows .
A few trees have been pollarded and some
thinning of birch is being done by Epping
Forest workmen.
Then we took a cross-country route north-
west and one of the boys checked the course
on a compass. There are patches of the
soft, silver-green cushion moss on south-
facing slopes under the beech trees here.
Having found our way correctly, we reached
the Wake Valley Ponds. These were made by