A drift down the Little Ouse over flowing Rapunzel-like skeins of Water-Crowfoot, past Minnow shoals

Such a joy to drift, in quite a brisk flow now, down the lovely River Little Ouse, a Breckland chalk stream, into the sinking early autumn sunshine. The divine golden-green silken skeins of River Water-Crowfoot (Ranunculus fluitans) make it feels as if one is sliding down the locks of Rapunzel in her tower. Here this plant is as it should be, whereas back in July, on the reach immediately downstream of this one, the River Water-Crowfoot was strangely lacking in its characteristic tassels    • Come with me on a refreshing drift down th...  . Interspersed with the River Water-Crowfoot, which blissfully dominate this reach, are feathers of River Water-Dropwort (Oenanthe fluviatilis), sadly with the green intestine-like tubes of the green algae Gutweed (Ulva intestinalis), and further down, Blanketweed (Cladophora glomerata) also mixed in. The Water-Crowfoot and Water-Dropwort are both signs that the River Little Ouse is in quite good health, with beds of Fool's Watercress (Helosciadium nodiflorum) further down, but the Gutweed and Blanketweed - signs of eutrophication, likely due to inputs from agriculture and sewage works, show that it is far from perfect. The ribbon leaves of Arrowhead and Unbranched Bur-reed looking very browned and tired. The clean sands and gravels of this briskly flowing reach of the River Little Ouse, scattered with large flints, here, upstream of Brandon, forming the boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk, lift the heart. The river has a rich invertebrate fauna, with frequent drifts of freshwater bivalve and snail shells. The only fish I saw on this downstream slide was shoals of European Minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus), with their black go-faster stripes, although Threespine Sticklebacks were the other most numerous fish on this reach. Compared to the summer, there seemed to be far fewer fish in the water column. One or two young Dace, Chub and Roach mingling with the Minnows, plentiful Chabot Bullheads under stones. Apart from these, the only fish I saw were single GIANT Brown Trout, Northern Pike and European Chub. All near or under overhanging trees such as willows. I wonder whether some fish have already set off on their migration to winter quarters where they are safe from spates. You can find out more about what I saw on this reach of the River Little Ouse at this thread on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/numenini.bsk... or Twitter https://x.com/numenini/status/2104343.... (24 September 2026 GX012108 13 4K)