Brechfa Pool
Also within
Birds & fish recorded
Birds
| Species | Season |
|---|---|
| teal | Passage |
| teal | Wintering |
Description
Description This shallow mud-bottomed lake supports a number of rare plant species typical of the exposed mud of lake margins, e.g. orange foxtail Alopecurus aequalis, and pennyroyal Mentha pulegium. Of particular interest is the strange fern called pillwort Pilularia globulifera, endemic to Europe and a species threatened with extinction over most of its range by loss of its habitat. In spring and autumn the pool attracts wading birds on migration and in winter it is a resort for small numbers of teal and other waterfowl. Remarks: Managed as a nature reserve.
Species mentioned
Show the 4 species mentioned in the description, with red-list status| English name search for this in other sites |
Latin name search with Google |
IUCN / Red List | Type | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| teal | Anas crecca | LC (NonBreeding), LC (Breeding) | bird-duck | anatidae |
| pillwort | Pilularia globulifera | VU | fern | marsileaceae |
| orange foxtail | Alopecurus aequalis | VU | grass | poaceae |
| pennyroyal | Mentha pulegium | NT | herb | lamiaceae |
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.
| Species | Status | Via host-plant |
|---|---|---|
| Grey chi Antitype chi |
Near Threatened | Mentha spp. |
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.