Llyn Bychan

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 53.1166, -3.8667

Description

Description A small, natural lake with a relatively high nutrient status but low productivity. It has good stands of emergent vegetation composed largely of water horsetail Equisetum fluviatile, club-rush Schoenoplectus lacustris, and water lobelia Lobelia dortmanna. Good populations of Shore-weed Littorella uniflora and Alternate-flowered Water Milfoil Myriophyllum alterniflorum occur. The lake has a moderately high range of phytoplankton species and numbers.

Species mentioned

English name
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Latin name
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IUCN / Red List Type Family
water horsetail Equisetum fluviatile LC herb equisetaceae
shoreweed Littorella uniflora LC herb plantaginaceae
water lobelia Lobelia dortmanna LC herb campanulaceae
alternate water-milfoil Myriophyllum alterniflorum LC herb haloragaceae
common club rush Schoenoplectus lacustris LC sedge cyperaceae

Insects to look out for

These moths, butterflies and beetles are known to feed on plants recorded at this site, and carry a notable UK conservation status — but a host-plant being present doesn't mean the insect has actually been recorded here. Treat this as "worth watching for," not a confirmed sighting.

SpeciesStatusVia host-plant
Garden tiger
Arctia caja
Near Threatened Equisetum fluviatile

Host-plant data: Cook et al. (2025), Traits data for the butterflies and macro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland, 2024, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology / Butterfly Conservation; and Padovani et al. (2020), Database of Insects and their Food Plants (DBIF), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (both Open Government Licence). Contains data supplied by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.