Thursley Common is special, from the moment of arriving at Moat Pond with its sparkling white Water-lilies.

The flat boggy area is full of rare and exotic-seeming plants, like the beautiful Bog Asphodel that demands a wet acidic soil, growing lotus-like from the black mud.

The common is a wide area of forest, bog, and little hills covered in heathland with boardwalks across the bog and dry sandy paths across the heath.

Among the delights of Thursley is the glorious Marsh Orchid.

Molinia, the bog cotton, is a plant totally characteristic of wild (Northern) moorland. It’s marvellous to see it down here in the South of England.

The bog pools are the home of dragonflies like the Black Darter, which can be seen only in this sort of habitat.

Other species like this Keeled Skimmer can be found in lowland streams as well as around bog pools.

In the forested areas, handsome lichens like these long branching strands of Ramalina indicate the purity of the air. Leafy Parmelia-type lichens are growing in the background.

A large and handsome parasitic wasp takes nectar from a bramble flower.