The Gift to Nature initiative teamed up with local landowner Caroline Knox in 2007 to open up Birchmore Pond in Blackwater. Opening ponds to light and warmth creates the perfect environment in particular for dragonflies and damselflies. This initial work produced some instant results for dragonflies. Gift to Nature’s wetland sites are surveyed for dragonflies and damselflies each year by Island expert Dave Dana who has found some excellent results, including Azure Damselflies and the dramatic-looking Migrant Hawker.
Work continues at Birchmore Pond to maintain and enhance it for wildlife. The conservation group Isle of Wight Green Gym have work incredibly hard to hugely improve an area for wildlife and enable easier access for people to view the pond and its inhabitants. To see the results of all this hard work please do visit the site which is accessed from the popular National Cycle Route 23 on the Shide to Merstone section. Gift to Nature is a conservation project run by Natural Enterprise. For further information on Gift to Nature sites please visit www.gifttonature.org.uk or telephone 296244.