The time for changing shape

There are still a lot of Common Newts in the two ponds in thw garden. They have bred and their young or larvae are beginning to develop, provided they evade the clutches of the many predators that lurk in the jungle under the surface.

Adult newts look most at home when they are swimming in the pond, they are quick and manoeuvrable.

In fact newts spend much of the time out of water. They hibernate on dry land and return to the pond between late February to May.when the temperature is above 0 deg C.

They normally leave the ponds in late July. They are nocturnal and spend the day hiding under large stones or compost heaps. Adult newts shed their skin as often as once a week.

 The larvae have external gills, which absorb oxygen directly from the water..The two here presumably hatched at different times, the smaller one must be several weeks behind the larger on on its way to maturity.

About 10 weeks later most have metamorphosed into air-breathing juveniles and leave the pond.  Some tadpoles, however, may overwinter in the larval state, only emerging from the water the following year. They become sexually mature at 3 years of age.

There are still a lot of tadpoles in the ponds. Many are small and black like the one above, and have developed back legs. The tail is round, not pointed as in the case of Common Frogs, as these are Toad Tadpoles.

"Eye of newt, and toe of frog"

The Common or Smooth Newt (Lissotriton vulgaris) is the commonest of the three species that occur in the UK. The arrive in their breeding ponds, after hibernating through the winter, in March.

In the breeding season the males develop a long wavy crest an become much more brightly coloured. They grow up to about 10cm long and are often found in garden ponds, often arriving of their own accord. Garden ponds are increasingly important as breeding sites for Common Newts as natural ponds are lost or filled in and become polluted.

The male have a very elaborate display, waving his tail while "dancing" in front of the female. This action wafts glandular secretions towards her which stimulates her to approach in. He drops a spermatophore (a small packet of sperm) near to the female. She takes this into he cloaca and her eggs are fertilised internally. A few days later the female starts to lay 7 to 12 eggs a day, laying up to 400 eggs in total, usually on broad-leaved aquatic plants.

Newts have to come the surface of the water periodically the breath. Amazingly for such a animal the average lifespan is around six years and it is possibly for them to live 20 years.

"Eye of newt, and toe of frog,

Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,

Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,

Lizard's leg, and howlet's wing,--

For a charm of powerful trouble,

Like a hell-broth boil and bubble."

Itchy eye and sore and runny nose time has arrived. It's time for another jar of my favourite honey form St Margaret's Farm, to help ward of the effects of the Oil Seed Rape pollen.