It sounds very grand but in fact, if I tell you that before this became a nature reserve it was known as 'The Horton Sludge Lagoons' you'll get a better idea of the place.
It's a highly polluted piece of former industrial land, which nature has been encouraged to take back from us.
On one side is an industrial estate, on another the road, on a third is a disused gravel pit and above a constant stream of planes from Heathrow Airport.
It's meant to be an island for nature with emphasis on reedbeds - but it's getting very dry these days, possibly due to climate change.
It was still nice on a sunny day and the Teasels were running wild.
They are a kind of thistle but the seed heads are very hard and survive for months. they are also prickly and it means that this was once a valuable industrial crop used to 'tease' out felt so that it became soft.
One or two latecomers were still flowering, most were ready for winter.
Neil Harris
(a don't stop till you drop production)
Home: helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com
Contact me: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com
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