West Side Pond, Goshen - 2005
The south shore of 42-acre West Side Pond is residentially developed, as is much of the western shore. Much of the northern shore remains wooded. A stream enters the pond from the northeast and there is a dam at the pond's southern end.
West Side Pond supports lush growth of many species of aquatic plants. They were particularly dense in shallow water around the edges of the pond during our September 2005 survey. Floating-leaved species dominated the shallows, with white water lily (Nymphaea odorata) growing most abundantly along the pond's northern shore and occurring with yellow water lily (Nuphar variegata) on the northeast end. The white water lily occurred with watershield (Brasenia schreberi) along the southern shore. Little floating heart (Nymphoides cordata) grew in shallow water along the northwest shore, occurring with white water lily and yellow water lily.
Deeper water was dominated by Robbins' pondweed (Potamogeton robbinsii), which extended to a depth of 13 feet (4 m) around much of the pond. Large-leaf pondweed (Potamogeton amplifolius) was very abundant in deeper water at the northern end of the lake and occurred in scattered patches elsewhere. Other pondweeds were less abundant, although variable pondweed (Potamogeton gramineus) occurred in large patches along the eastern side of the pond. No plants were growing in the deepest water of the pond, which reaches a maximum depth of 32 feet (10 m) and has a mean depth of 15 feet (4.5 m).
One invasive species, the Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) was recorded, growing in several locations in the pond's northern end. A great many other aquatic plants were recorded in small, widely scattered patches. Among these species were sevenangle pipewort (Eriocaulon aquaticum), coontail (Ceratophyllum demersum), Canadian elodea (Elodea canadensis), purple bladderwort (Utricularia purpurea) and several pondweed species.
| Species recorded in our 2005 survey of West Side Pond. Scientific Names *Invasive Species |
||||
| Arrowhead | Large-Leaf pondweed | Slender naiad | ||
| Canadian waterweed | Little floating heart | Small pondweed | ||
| Coontail | Needle spikerush | Snailseed pondweed | ||
| Eelgrass | Purple bladderwort | Variable pondweed | ||
| Eurasian watermilfoil* | Ribbon-Leaf pondweed | Watershield | ||
| Flat-Stemmed pondweed | Robbins' pondweed | White water lily | ||
| Floating-Leaf pondweed | Sevenangle pipewort | Yellow water lily | ||
Other West Side Pond Surveys: 2012