Other creatures

Tall herbage by the river is a good habitat for many species of wildlife, including beetles and water snails. The tiny Desmoulin's whorl snail, a Europe-wide rarity which won its moment of fame when a colony held up the construction of the Newbury bypass.

They are found principly on sedges and reeds but in late summer and early autumn, when at their highest densities have been found on most plant species in the damp riverside habitat that they favour. 

 Above: Desmoulin's whorl snail                                 Above: American signal crayfish

Crayfish are very common in parts of the river, lurking by day in burrows of the bank and emerging at dusk to feed. Most if not all are now the American signal crayfish, an escapee from crayfish farms, which have wiped out our native white-clawed crayfish in most southern rivers.