Stephenstown Pond Habitats
There are five main habitats in the area of Stephenstown Pond in Knockbridge. On the outer, drier areas around the pond are
woodland. Beech trees dominate the Copse beside the road while wooded areas elsewhere around the pond are dominated by Sycamore with Hawthorn understorey. To many people woodland is just a collection of trees, shrubs, mosses and herbs mixed together. This is not so. If you take a careful look, you can see a structure to the woodland. The uppermost part of a woodland is called the canopy (roof) and is composed entirely of mature trees. The next layer is the understorey where we find immature trees. Below this is the shrub layer, containing shrubs and bushes. The groundcover is composed of herbs, ferns and straggling woody species and is called the field or herb layer. Beneath this layer and close to it you find the moss layer or carpet. On the damper soils nearer the pond margin are scattered areas of willow copse, often called carr vegetation and this habitat is dominated by willow species and alder trees. In the grassy verges around the woodland and pond habitats alike, there is a great variety of weed (ruderal) species and there is a wildflower meadow at the northern end of the pond. These areas are colourful and diverse.Along the pond margins, there is a large area of
water meadow with reed at the waters edge giving way to sedges and rushes on drier slopes. This is a particularly important habitat because of its limited distribution in Ireland, and its importance to wildlife. The pond itself consists of a number of floating (emergent) and underwater (submerged) plants and associated birds, fish, and insects.Each habitat contains a unique community of
plants, birds, mammals, and insects adapted to the prevalent conditions. The variety of habitats in this small area contributes to its great diversity.Stephenstown pond is clearly a very biodiverse, environment with a variety of habitats. There are very complicated links between the various plants, insects and animals and these often-unknown links illustrate the importance of conservation of ALL the different aspects of the area. Wetland areas are becoming increasingly scarce, putting pressure on some of our more beautiful birds and animals. Stephenstown pond, although only very small, is very important for not only resident flora and fauna but also as a temporary repose for migrating birds and insects of national and international importance. The importance of Stephenstown Pond lies in the fact that it is relatively shallow. The greatest loss of wetland habitat this century has been of this type of pond, together with water meadows, reed beds and marshes. Shallow water can support a great diversity of plant and animal life because light can penetrate to the bottom. Preservation of this site contributes to the preservation of Ireland's natural environment. It is here to be enjoyed and cherished by the public, now and in the future.
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