Newts in the pond

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PLUMPUDDING
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Location: Stocksbridge, S. Yorks

I had never seen newts in the garden before, but thought I caught sight of one's tail disappearing down into the pond a couple of weeks ago, then this afternoon I moved some of the excess weed and there were two newts. One showed a pale orange belly with little black spots. I think they were palmates, but might have been smooth newts.

I've lived here nearly 70 years and this is a first for the garden. I wonder where they have come from? There aren't any other ponds anywhere near. I also saw a large dragon fly nymph, a great diving beetle and some red damsel flies as well as the usual pond skaters and water boatmen.

It seems a good year for wildlife. I've never seen so many bumble bees of numerous species and the hedgehogs are visiting every night.
Ive cut a hedgehog sized hole in the bottom of the gate as a hedgehog had fallen off the wall and got stuck at the back of the house last week. Last night two hedgehogs had gone through it for a look round and we're really noisy grubbing about.

There seems to be a new hatching of ladybirds too today and there are frogs of all sizes making me jump when I'm weeding.
PLUMPUDDING
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How are all your plots for wildlife? I can't match Pawty's stag beetle and slow worm, but love observing everything.
tigerburnie
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That's fab, I don't yet have a pond, but will have soon.
Been gardening for over 65 years and still learning.
robo
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We have a pond in the garden problem is there is that many frogs and toads you can't see into the water it's that cloudy, Dragonflies seen up to six years as a nymph before turning into the dragonflies we all know
Monika
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You mean the frogs and toads are churning up the mud, Robo? They should soon be leaving the pond and have you tried clearing the pond water by sinking a small bale of barley straw into the pond? You can buy these specially for this purpose from any pet shop, and they really do the trick.
We tend to have lots of smooth newts in our pond. They arrived on their own accord when we first dug the pond about 20 years ago. It does mean you lose most of your frog tadpoles, eaten by the newts! The few that have survived this year are just getting their hind legs.
robo
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Hi Monika we have 2 floating around I did an inspection tonight and it is getting clearer ,it's been a long battle up to now , it started when the koi killed the waterlilies they where in planters with rocks weighing them down full of soil ,after a while the empty planters floated to the surface
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Geoff
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I have lots of newts in the pond and also few surviving tadpoles, I blame the heron as well.
Yesterday I planted a new batch of lettuce in the polytunnel and one was missing today. While replanting I lifted up a nearby pot of tarragon to look for slimys and found a big slug and a newt. Quite a long way from the pond though I did have a frog in there for the Winter.
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