Garden wildlife watch
Olivia Watts from the Field Studies Council explains what newts are up to in April, and the best way to see one in your pond.
April is the month for amphibians. If you have a pond in your garden or allotment, you might have already observed frogs and toads visiting, but have you seen a newt? They conceal their eggs and can be a little trickier to spot.
Smooth newts
In the UK we have three native newt species, and the most common one you may encounter in a garden pond is the smooth newt (Lissotriton vulgaris) which typically reach 4in (10cm) in length and have smooth, velvety brown skin. Males and females have orange-coloured bellies with black spots that extend onto their throats. However, during the breeding season, males develop a striking wavy crest along their back.
They spend winter on land where they seek shelter in damp spaces or the muddy banks of ponds. However, as spring arrives, they migrate to freshwater habitats in preparation for the breeding season.
Spring sightings
April is the best month to see if you can spot a smooth newt in your pond. Simply head out in the dark and shine a torch onto the water - you might just catch a glimpse of their courtship dance. Male newts ‘dance’ with their tails in the hope of winning over a female. If successful, mating occurs, and the female will go on to lay between 200-300 eggs throughout the pond. Eggs are deposited individually onto vegetation and the leaves are carefully folded over. This is very different to frogs and toads which deposit eggs in large masses or strings.
Garden benefits
Newts are valuable garden pest controllers as they feed on a wide range of invertebrate prey on land and in the water. In ponds, they eat pond snails, midge larvae and leeches and on land, they eat caterpillars, snails, slugs, and beetles - making them a great garden ally!
