Ascension : The Dewpond
Submitted by The Islander (Conservation Office) 24.04.2008 (Article Archived on 08.05.2008)

The Dewpond was constructed on the summit of Green Mountain in 1875, before the bamboos were planted which was nearing the end of the 19th century.

Goldfish were introduced to keep the water clean, and frogs which lived there were possibly descendents of those brought to the island during the war for use in medical experiments. An anchor chain marks the island’s highest point which is 2817ft; during the Naval occupation of the last century, malefactors were obliged to spend hours at the Peak swinging a chain round their heads, although the present chain would appear to be too heavy for this. The chain swinging was not a refined form of torture, but was supposed to induce rain by changing the direction of the electricity in the clouds, so often enveloping the peak. Thick-stemmed crusty looking ferns growing on the windward slopes just below the Bamboo Grove are peculiar to the island and date from a time before the eruption of the recent peaks such as the Sisters. Two of the endemic plants can be found at Dewpond which are called The Marrattia fern, which can grow up to 2 metres, and the Xiphopteris ascensionense, or local name bamboo fern, which can grow up to 10cm, and this specie can be found growing on the moss of the Bamboo around the Dewpond.