Ynghylch

The free-floating water-soldier is a rare aquatic plant that can naturally be found in ponds and still, open water, mostly in central and eastern England. However, it is often grown in ponds outside of its natural range, where it can escape into local water bodies and become highly invasive, swamping out local vegetation.

Water-soldier grows beneath the water, staying submerged for most of the year. From June to August, it surfaces and flowers, displaying white blooms. Like other aquatic plants, it offers resting and sheltering places for aquatic insects like dragonfly and damselfly larvae. Norfolk hawkers favour sites with plenty of water-soldier.