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newts and frogs in gardens: |
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ben rigsby Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 No. of posts: 337  View other posts by ben rigsby |
Posted: 23 Jun 2010 maybe this is of use to someone. perhaps other town-dwellers thinking of starting a pond or improving their garden habitat for frogs and newts. maybe they want to interest their children in wildlife first hand too. the gardens a great place to start. "my" amphibians are doing well. its as stable a population as many rural ones i know right now. i have a city pond of 10 years standing with, on average 100-200 newts and at least 100 frogs at breeding time. a few toads also recently. there are other ponds nearby. it could happen to you too and colonies need your help to network and ensure long-term survival so the experts say. heres my garden plants. my animals seem to like them. many are referenced as beneficial in FROGLIFE's great crested newt conservation handbook but they more than likely benefit the other species too. i planted a few myself (most listed are easily obtained from garden centres), the rest seeded themselves. are you listening flower child suze? 
SAMPLE OF NATIVE FLORA, FERNS AND GRASSES FOUND IN URBAN BREEDING/TERRESTRIAL AMPHIBIAN HABITAT 2000-2010 GLOS. survey date; 23.06.10 there are, among OTHERS visible at my city garden site today, the; TERRESTRIAL FLOWERS; herb robert (geranium robertiamum) herb bennet/wood avens (geum urbanum) spearmint (mentha spiticata) broad-leaved willowherb (epilobrium montanum) great willowherb (epilobrium hirsutum) stinging nettle (urtica dioica) blackberry (rubus fruiticosis) raspberry (rubus ideaus) dandelion (taraxacum officinale) ivy (helix hedera) red-veined dock (rumex sanguinus) bluebell (hyacinthoides non-scripta) lesser burdock (arctium minus) travellers joy (clematis vitalba) doves foot cranesbill (geranium molle) shining cranesbill (geranium lucidum) wavy bittercress (cant remember) petty spurge (euphorbia peplus) the AQUATIC/DAMP loving; brooklime (veronica beccabunga - LOVE THAT NAME!) watercress (nasturtium officianale) marsh marigold (caltha polustris) common hornwort (ceratophyllum submersum) duckweed (OH NO!) (lemna minor) yellow flag/iris (iris pseudocorus). what a stunner. starwort (callitriche stagnalis) white waterlily (nymphaea alba) yellow waterlily (nuphar lutea)- i think! purple loosestrife (lythrum salicaria) - and NOT ragged robin as i said elsewhere. some of these plants provide me with free food too! ANOTHER goal scored by the host country. the FERNS; male fern (dryopteris filix-mas) harts tongue fern (asplenium scolopendrium) royal fern (osmunda regalis) common polypody (polipodium vulgare) and the GRASSES; greater pond sedge (carex pendula) perennial rye grass (lolium peronne) couch grass (agropyron repens) common bent (agrostis gigantea) cocks foot (dactylis glomerata) barren brome (bromus sterilis) there are a handful of TO BE AVOIDED IF POSSIBLE non-native plants inc canadian pondweed (elodea cadensis), rose of sharon and passionflower. theyre still good for cover though! incidentally, there are no trees in my garden but several natives inc hazel and ash stands in nearby plots. occasionally find tree fungi on my logs. not the ones i leave in the toilet no. "the streets are fields that never die" jim (NOT that prat JAMES) morrisson, the doors. the streets have fields that NEED not die more like. ben Diversity. |
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Suzi Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 No. of posts: 860 View other posts by Suzi |
Posted: 24 Jun 2010 Very interesting collection Ben. Most impressed that you can name your grasses. Afraid I'm not interested in grasses! I do have trees - huge oak, hazels, birch, variegated and plain hollies, acer, small yew tree (here when we arrived and it's the wrong soil type but it does OK), wiggly willow, buddleias. My pond is tiddly really so can't have too many plants. I did have brooklime but it took over so I ripped it out. In fact the instant it covered the pond the duckweed moved in amongtst it and is here to stay BUT just the other day I thought I saw a brooklime stem growing in the soil next to the pond. I do have frogbit this year after trying for years and finally chucking some in last autumn which seems to be thriving (well it's doing battle with the duckweed). Suz |
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