Stanmore Common Nature Trail
Long trail post 5: You have just crossed Tykes Water. Tykes Water enters Stanmore Common as polluted smelly water, probably from a misconnection where foul water is piped to a surface water drain. Within 30 meters of it entering the Common plants, sediments and molluscs have stripped out the pollutants and stonefly larvae appear.

To the left of the marker post is a stump covered with a carpet of a distinctive dark green moss. There are at least four species here. The soft green mat is common feather-moss Kindbergia praelonga while the dark green tall spikes are bank haircap Polytrichastrum formosum. Swan's-neck thyme-moss Mnium hornum is also dark green, while the lighter green moss is common smooth cap moss Atrichum undulatum. The species name undulatum refers to tiny wrinkles in the leaves, which are just visible with the naked eye or obvious with a hand lens. Between April and July you may see moss spore capsules which emerge from the shoot tips looking like pepper pots on stalks. In dry weather the capsule teeth open releasing millions of minute spores to form the next generation of moss.

Turn left and follow the path uphill which soon bends to the right.

To description for long trail post 6

More on some of the birds you are likely to see or hear on the Common

More on the three species of deer on the Common and their tracks

Click here to learn more about the Harrow Nature Conservation Forum including guided walks and conservation workdays.