Pills, Pools and Marshes - Gower - page 249

worts Callitriche spp., water mint, watercress, water forget-me-not, broad-leaved pondweed Potamo-
geton natans , lesser pondweed Potamogeton pusillus (a regional rarity) and water-pepper Polygonum hy-
dropiper .
The drainage ditches of coastal levels are an important habitat for dragonflies and damselflies. An in-
vertebrate survey in 1991 also recorded a number of scarce and local fly species such as the danceflies
Hilarafulvibarba and H.lundbecki ,thelatterbeingapredatorycoastalflyoftenseenvisitingflowersnear
the shore. Other species found along the ditches include the stiletto fly Thereva nobilitata , whose larvae
feedondecayingmaterialinsoil, Syntormon pumilus ,asmallmetallicblueflywithlonglegswhichisof-
ten found in damp, well-vegetated places, and Oplodontha viridula , a widespread, but local, bright green
and black soldierfly usually found in marshes and pond margins. Adults of the soldierfly are commonly
foundonflowers,especiallythoseoflow-growingspecies.Itismostactiveinwarmsunnyconditionsand
on a cool day, or in windy weather, they seek shelter.
There has been no detailed survey of the birds of Llangennith Moors and many of the records are
rather old, although species recorded breeding in the area include mallard, moorhen Gallinula chloropus ,
reed bunting, stonechat, sedge warbler, linnet, yellowhammer, grasshopper warbler, skylark and meadow
pipit. Large populations of breeding lapwing used to occur within living memory, but there has been a
considerable decline in numbers, which may be linked with the change from mixed farming to summer
grazing only. Among the most interesting winter records are those of a pair of water rail in 1964 and 45
golden plover Pluvialis apricaria in 1966. As mentioned in Chapter 5, two Dartford warblers were also
seen in 1991.
Diles Lake was originally the point at which the outflow from the Moors emerged as a seepage
throughthedunesandoutontothebeach.Anoutflowpipewasinstalledduringtheearly1970stoimprove
drainage, butasthe pipe frequently became blocked with plant material anexit forthe main drain was cut
through the dunes in early 1985. The creation of this new exit channel had serious effects on the moors
and they became much drier. By 1995 it was clear that action needed to be taken if the flora and fauna
of the area were to be conserved, and a management plan to control the water level was prepared by
the Countryside Council for Wales in conjunction with the then National Rivers Authority. This was not
implemented until 2000, however, due to the complicated land ownership in the area, the Moors being
ownedbysevendifferentfarmers,withthelandholdingsscatteredacrossanumberofseparateenclosures.
CWM IVY MARSH
Along with the yellow iris, characteristic of the upper part of the estuary, the smaller grazing marsh at
Cwm Ivy contains meadowsweet, common spike-rush, blunt-flowered rush Juncus subnodulosus , greater
bird's-foot-trefoilandwaterhorsetail Equisetum fluviatile .Thedrainageditchesonthelowlandfenmead-
ow form most of the field boundaries and have their own characteristic species including fool's water-
cress and lesser water-parsnip. Other notable plant species include brackish water-crowfoot Ranuncu-
lus baudotii , thread-leaved water-crowfoot Ranunculus trichophyllus , sharp rush Juncus acutus and fine-
leaved water dropwort Oenanthe aquatica . The damp neutral grassland is dominated by grasses such as
Yorkshire-fog, with soft-rush and common sedge Carex nigra . The rare flat sedge Blysmus rufus has also
been found here in the past.