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AUTUMN: SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER
Wildlife
• Smaller animals have finished egg-
laying, some are hatching and tiny larvae
are getting ready for winter.
• Frog and newt tadpoles may
over-winter.
• Plants begin to die back.
Management
• Pond clearing. Gently remove some
leaf litter but remember it can be a good
habitat and food source for smaller
animals.
• Remove non-native and other unwanted
plants, and dispose of them on the
compost heap.
• Avoid leaving plants on the banks near
the pond as the nutrients locked up in the
plants will drain back into the pond.
• To save the pond animals, wash plants
and leaves out in a tub of water.
WINTER: DECEMBER-FEBRUARY
Wildlife
• Under the water, life goes on, with
the larvae of mayflies, dragonflies, and
water beetles over-wintering under the
ice. You may have hibernating frogs and
sometimes newts in the water too.
• Most plants won’t start growing until
February, unless you have ‘winter-green’
stoneworts or mosses.
Management
• Under ice cover, shallow ponds with
plenty of underwater plants and light will
remain well oxygenated.
• If you have fish or amphibians, and ice
covers the pond for more than 2 or 3 days,
run a pump or fountain to keep oxygen
levels up.
• A hole in the ice won’t make any
significant difference to the oxygen levels
in the pond, but it may help air breathing
creatures which can swim to the surface
for air. It’ll also give the birds somewhere
to drink.
• Brush the snow off the ice to let light
into the pond – this can help keep oxygen
levels up, but don’t venture out on to
the ice.
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