River Mole earth, about a mile from "Darking" in "Surrey", and after some two miles sees the light againe, which to be certaine hath been affirmed by Inhabitants thereabout reporting triall made of it. John Milton (c. 1562–1647) described the river as In a similar vein, Alexander Pope (1688–1744) wrote in his poem "Windsor Forest" (first published 1713) Robert Bloomfield (1766–1823) writes the following lines about the Mole Valley in his 1806 poem "Wild Flowers". Extract from "The River Mole or Emlyn Stream" by Mary Drinkwater Bethune, which was published in 1839. The major tributaries of the River Mole are the Ifield
River Mole fast swimming mayflies and riffle beetles. The beautiful demoiselle ("Calopteryx virgo") disappeared from the River Mole during the 1960s owing to deteriorating water quality, but has since recolonised. The white-legged damselfly ("Platycnemis pennipes") is also found along the river and the downy emerald ("Cordulia aenea") is found between Box Hill and Leatherhead. The Mole is one of only three locations in England where the river shingle beetle ("Meotica anglica") is found. A nationally scarce species which is locally common on the River Mole is the greater dodder ("Cuscuta europaea"). The Mole catchment area includes twelve Sites of Special Scientific Interest