Discussion
Our small garden pond has happily hosted frogs and palmate newts for the past few years. The newt population was thriving however no sign of them back this year. Frog spawn arrived in late March/early April and the tads are doing well
We've had a particularly severe winter - is it likely the newts have died in hibernation or are they just having a lie in somewhere?
We've had a particularly severe winter - is it likely the newts have died in hibernation or are they just having a lie in somewhere?
I’m interested that your small pond supports both - in general it’s only one or the other as newts are - despite their sweet appearance - absolute murder to tadpoles.
We had frogspawn for the first couple of years but the newts ate everything and the frogs gave up - I assume they’re laying elsewhere now.
I would say we have less newts than previous years tho - and they seemed to appear a bit later - but definitely back this year. It may be your pond is better frog suited so you have very few newts? Dunno really, sorry......
We had frogspawn for the first couple of years but the newts ate everything and the frogs gave up - I assume they’re laying elsewhere now.
I would say we have less newts than previous years tho - and they seemed to appear a bit later - but definitely back this year. It may be your pond is better frog suited so you have very few newts? Dunno really, sorry......
I too have noticed a lack of newts this year - although our current pond is perhaps not suitable now that the fish have free roam (we removed a divider earlier in the year).
I am actually in the process of making a wildlife pond in the hope of attracting a host of amphibians, water dwelling insects and other such stuff. Hopefully newts will establish themselves as I do love watching the cute brutes in the garden.
I am actually in the process of making a wildlife pond in the hope of attracting a host of amphibians, water dwelling insects and other such stuff. Hopefully newts will establish themselves as I do love watching the cute brutes in the garden.
Nightmare said:
I’m interested that your small pond supports both - in general it’s only one or the other as newts are - despite their sweet appearance - absolute murder to tadpoles.
We had frogspawn for the first couple of years but the newts ate everything and the frogs gave up - I assume they’re laying elsewhere now.
I would say we have less newts than previous years tho - and they seemed to appear a bit later - but definitely back this year. It may be your pond is better frog suited so you have very few newts? Dunno really, sorry......
My Dad's pond is stuffed full of both newts and frogs so they can live together happily as its been this way for years. I'm still to see any newts arrive in my wildlife pond however, just frogs so far and plenty of insect life.We had frogspawn for the first couple of years but the newts ate everything and the frogs gave up - I assume they’re laying elsewhere now.
I would say we have less newts than previous years tho - and they seemed to appear a bit later - but definitely back this year. It may be your pond is better frog suited so you have very few newts? Dunno really, sorry......
Lotobear said:
Yep, my newts and frogs have always happily co existed too, it's the blackbirds that decimate the taddies!
Still no return of newts for me either this year, my guess is the cold winter has killed them off
I doubt it's the cold, my folks live on to top of a hill in North East Scotland and can have very severe winters and the Newts are still there every year even with the pond frozen over for a good few weeks. They are probably just not fully active and easy to spot yet.Still no return of newts for me either this year, my guess is the cold winter has killed them off
Well,
My pond died last year - absolutely nothing, no frogs or newts.
So this morning I looked at the muddy puddle and decided I would fill it in. To my surprise as I removed the perimeter stones I found one sleeping newt and two in a passionate clinch, and numerous frogs!
So, happily, that the project is stuffed and I'm now re filling and reinstating the pond.
Glad to have the little buggers back!
My pond died last year - absolutely nothing, no frogs or newts.
So this morning I looked at the muddy puddle and decided I would fill it in. To my surprise as I removed the perimeter stones I found one sleeping newt and two in a passionate clinch, and numerous frogs!
So, happily, that the project is stuffed and I'm now re filling and reinstating the pond.
Glad to have the little buggers back!
We’ve got hundreds of them - a good mix too. They are never blatantly obvious and tend to be under rocks or partially buried York slabs.
I have found they come out in the evenings when the sprinklers have been on after a warm day and have to be very careful walking around!
I’m now in my 40s but I still get excited when I find them - even more so than my 6&4 year old kids! I think that’s because they were fairly rare where I grew up but now that live surrounded by woods and farmland it’s just the norm for them - although they do get very excited when deer or rabbits come in the garden. They were very excited when we found the start of a badger sett in the back garden - as was I - until they dug the lawn up overnight - probably looking for worms and newts!
I have found they come out in the evenings when the sprinklers have been on after a warm day and have to be very careful walking around!
I’m now in my 40s but I still get excited when I find them - even more so than my 6&4 year old kids! I think that’s because they were fairly rare where I grew up but now that live surrounded by woods and farmland it’s just the norm for them - although they do get very excited when deer or rabbits come in the garden. They were very excited when we found the start of a badger sett in the back garden - as was I - until they dug the lawn up overnight - probably looking for worms and newts!
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