One of our younger Friends, Sophie, spotted this newt in Adel Pond. She and her Dad saw lots – about eight in an area two metres by two metres.
There are three native species of newt in the UK: smooth or common newt; palmate newt; and great crested newt. The newts spotted by Chloe and her Dad were either smooth newts or palmate newts.
Newts spend much of the year on dry land and only take to the water for the breeding period in the Spring and staying there till the Summer. In the rest of the year they can often be found under stones in the garden. A few years ago, I dismantled a wall in our garden and found a bundle of about twenty newts all huddled up in a ball.
Friends of Adel Woods dredge silt from Adel Pond each Autumn and we had successful “newt safaris” with Steve Joul in May 2012 and May 2013 – you can find reports in our blog.
Friends of Adel Woods 