In 2009, Sharon Bayne wrote about some botanical detective work she had done. "As you’ve walked down the new sloping path towards the Link bridge you probably did no
more than glance at the plants growing on the bank under the hawthorn trees. You may or
may not have noticed the wide variety. I did the same – until I stopped to take a closer look
and, for a while, was quite confused! What I found was a wide array of wetland plants,
usually found growing on the edges of ponds, but in this case growing at the top of the slope
on a very dry bank, hundreds of metres from the nearest pond. A bit of lateral thinking
revealed the answer. Back in the mid 1990s the owner of the fishing lake dredged the ponds
and dumped the spoil over the top of the bank. Many years later the soil was moved during
the path construction and the seeds exposed, which miraculously sprang to life. It is unlikely
that they will survive in the long term here as the soil is so dry, so enjoy them while you can."