Wayfinder 2: Willowherb
Wayfinder 2: Beach at Penistone Quarry Pond
Walking directions: From the bench at the entrance, take the main footpath into the park, which continues steadily uphill. Just after you pass under the telegraph wires, leave the main track on a path that forks left towards a clump of hills (the remnants of the old Penistone Quarry). This path continues to climb, curving through the hills and bending to the right to reach a wider path that overlooks the pond. Turn left towards a single birch tree, then head down a gentle incline to reach a small sandy beach at the edge of the pond.
About this Wayfinder
This was the first poem I wrote for the Wayfinder trail. When my residency began in August, you couldn’t miss the striking pink spears of rosebay willowherb or the soothing sound they made as the wind rushed through them. They turned paler and feathery as the weeks went by, and their cottony seeds seemed to float everywhere I went.
Aside from their vivid colour, I felt drawn to this plant as a pioneer species that’s known to thrive on wasteland and disturbed ground — a talent that led to nicknames such as ‘Bombweed’ and ‘Fireweed’ when it sprung up all over London after the Blitz. According to The Wildlife Trusts, each plant can produce 80,000 seeds, and the heat from fires can help to germinate them.
In summer, the far side of the old quarry pond was one of the places where rosebay willowherb grew in abundance. This nectar-rich plant attracts a variety of pollinators and is the favourite food of the elephant hawk-moth caterpillar. What better symbol of rewilding and resilience?
Cottony seeds of rosebay willowherb
