Here is one of the resident male smooth newts engaging with: A. An aquatic worm of some sort, but which one. B. Medusa. C. Some sort of larva.
Any indications, mythological or otherwise, would be much appreciated!
We only have three snake species here, so I was thrilled to run into this little juvenile grass snake today. Look at that vibrant yellow collar against the jet-black scales!
Apparently, these guys are semi-aquatic and feed overwhelmingly on amphibians and small fish. I actually had my two-year-old in my arms when we spotted it, so taking a picture was a bit of a balancing act! It moved like wind through the dead leaves—I only wish we could have watched it swim.
Best photo I could manage before it vanished!
Hej!
There is a rather disturbing discussion unfolding right now on r/GardeningUK and subsequently on r/axolotls.
A lucky wildlife-pond owner in the UK photographed this lovely little larva and came to Reddit looking for an identification. Surprisingly, a substantial number of commenters are arguing that it is not a native newt larva but an axolotl that somehow made its way into the OP's private pond.
The arguments being made include that people in the UK keep axolotls in outdoor garden ponds, and that an actual axolotl was recently found under a bridge beside the River Ogmore near Bridgend, South Wales. That animal, a roughly 9-inch axolotl nicknamed Dippy, was considered by experts to have probably been an abandoned pet. It demonstrates that an axolotl can indeed turn up in a British waterway! Nevertheless, it does not establish that axolotls are breeding or naturally occurring in British ponds.
Meanwhile, people are now suggesting that the animal in this post should be brought inside, "rescued", or collected by someone. That is potentially problematic. If this turns out to be a great crested newt larva, great crested newts are legally protected. In England and Wales it is an offence to capture, possess or transport them without the appropriate licence. My suggestions were to give the little larva space.
The photograph and the OP's approximate one-inch measurement are not sufficient for me to confidently distinguish between the three native UK newt species. And in all honesty I only have live experience with one. An interesting hypothesis raised in the discussion is a partially neotenous or otherwise unusual great crested newt; see the paper below (first link).
So I have two questions for people in the UK:
Do you personally know anyone who has kept axolotls in an outdoor/backyard pond in the UK?
Have you personally ever encountered an axolotl living in a UK pond, stream, river or other outdoor waterbody?
I would be particularly interested in first-hand observations rather than assumptions based on what is theoretically possible.
For anyone interested in the biology, this paper is worth reading:
Threads where the discussion is unfolding:
r/GardeningUK:
https://www.reddit.com/r/GardeningUK/comments/1w8w6o8/comment/p881mem/?context=3
Dear all,
hope this is ok here.
We sometimes have hedgehogs in your yard and often have large toads as well. I am attempting to identify who’s scat I am looking at here.
The consistency seems to look like (sorry) peanut butter. No insect exoskeletons present.
Did my resident hogs leave this here?
Thanks in advance!
Anyone else seeing their snails do this?
The thought that this creature spent the last two to three years here as a nymph keeping the food web in motion is just inspiring.
A recent thread here got me thinking about building new ponds.
In the comments, u/3owi suggested a shortcut: heading down to a local natural water body, taking ”quite a bit” of established submerged plants, and transferring them to kick-start balance. When pushed back on the ethics of the matter not to mention the legal and biosecurity concerns, u/3owi argued that taking a small amount from an overgrown local spot does minimal harm, provided we never release domestic/exotic plants back into the wild. They compared this to the justification of speeding on the highway in order to deliver a pregnant woman to the hospital.
It raises an interesting question about how we approach building wildlife ponds and more importantly what ”advice” we spread here online: Is removing from local waterways ever appropriate, or does the ecological risk outweigh the short-term convenience?
How many of you out there remove plants from local waterways to fill your wildlife ponds despite it being clearly illegal in many parts of the world?
Here are a few nuances to consider:
Biosecurity & Invisible Vectors: Even if a plant is native to your area, transferring wild material moves the entire biofilm attached to it. This is one of the primary vectors for spreading pathogens like Chytrid fungus or Ranavirus between isolated water bodies, as well as hitchhiking invasive fragments (Crassula helmsii, Elodea) or pest larvae. For those of you who don’t know : Chytrid fungus is a waterborne pathogen causing the largest recorded disease-driven loss of biodiversity in history, leading to population declines in over 500 amphibian species and at least 90 extinctions.
Habitat Impact vs. Backyard Gain: While adding native plants to a garden pond creates new habitat, taking them from established wild spots—even in small amounts—disrupts existing micro-habitats, spawning sites, and nutrient buffers.
The Containment Factor: Ponds aren't closed systems. Visiting birds, amphibians, and heavy rainfall overflow regularly transport seeds, spores, and plant nodes between garden ponds and local natural drainage.
Safer Alternatives: As u/Mr-Mobs mentioned, patience, nursery-grown stock, plant swaps with local hobbyists, or even floating a bag of supermarket watercress can achieve the same nutrient uptake without disturbing local wild sites.
Where do you all land on this?
Do you stick strictly to nursery/cultivated plants, or swapping from other pond owners OR do you take from local waterways?
See the full thread here?
A recent thread on r/WildlifePonds got me thinking about a debate that comes up far too often when someone posts about a 10-day-old garden pond going through its classic "pea soup" algal bloom.
User u/3owi suggested a shortcut: going out to local "natural water in your area," taking wild underwater plants, and transferring them into a new garden pond to speed up balance. When called out on the legal and ecological issues, their logic was essentially that taking "just a few" plants from a local spot is harmless, that rangers wouldn't care, and that keeping exotics out of nature is the only real rule that matters.
Any thoughts?
Do any of you have this piece of equipment?
If so:
Thanks in advance !
A neolithic dolmen is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb. lt usually features two or more upright giant stone slabs supporting a massive flat horizontal capstone.
It was another unique place to do a stealthcampfor me. It is in an area of Belgium where there are more dolmen and menhirs of about 5000 BC.
The dolmen I camped was the smaller and more difficult to reach. It was a special experience to be around that area after sunset to be honest.
But I kept respectful to the site, left no trace and I am glad my country has plenty of these unique spots
The sunset and sunrise was truly remarkable.
Saw this post below and am a little worried about the animals well being. I’ve never held a salamander indoors in captivity. My pond and yard however is home to several smooth newts and it is illegal for me to move them as they are protected.
If this creature in the post below was in my area, it would also be law to release back to the spot where I collected it.
Regardless of law is it common for newts to be held in ecospheres?
Hej!
I realize all toads are frogs and in all honesty I cherish them both. In my pond there is an abundance of common roads, small crested newts and an occasional frog.
I believe I am accustomed to identifying the adults but this little one has me confused. The color and skin texture resemble the adult toads in my pond, nonetheless the back legs and the hop at the end reminds me of the occasional adult frog I find.
If anyone has any ideas + the reasoning behind so I can lear, I would be very appreciative to hear them.
Thabk you in advance!
I am trying to learn about the biodiversity I cohabitate with.
These droppings appeared on the path from street into the back yard. Both on outside and inside of fence. I have often seen similar droppings in this location.
We have a large wildlife pond and an abundance of toads, limited number of frog sightings and several sitings of hedgehogs, including one “carousel“ this spring which was very interesting!
Upon closer inspection I did not find any exoskeletons or insect shells inside the skat. The constancy is very unison, soft, moist and pasty.
Any help in identifying would be greatly appreciated.
LOCATION: Southeastern Sweden.
SIZE: 4.5 CM
Thank you in advance!
I've been told these are 'Sole' class koi. Can anyone confirm if the scales on my left are Kohaku, or is the placement too far down the foot?
Hey folks,
I got dragged into a massive debate recently about the OzPonds "BOB" (Bog in a Barrel) up-flow filter setup. People have some intense opinions on whether this design actually holds up over time or just turns into a toxic sludge bomb.
I want to cut through the noise: Has anyone here actually built one of these?
If you have, please let me know:
Crucial caveat: If you haven't actually built and run this specific filter, please skip this thread. I’m strictly looking for real-world execution, not armchair engineering.
Appreciate any real feedback!
Hey everyone,
My two-year-old son and I just made our first-ever saltwater ecosphere from the Baltic Sea to show some visitors the wildlife we have right here. It has a couple of native prawns/shrimp, some small scuds, and local green algae.
The lid is closed but not sealed with a gasket. How long do you think we can ethically hold these critters if we keep them out of direct sunlight before the oxygen levels in the saltwater drop?
We are only doing this for temporary observation and fully intend to return them to the sea completely unharmed. We were thinking 48 hours max, but we'd love to hear your experiences on safe timelines for a temporary setup like this!
EDIT: the “mega-fauna” has returned home.
Hey everyone,
I have been lurking on this sub for several weeks now, just soaking everything up and learning a ton. I do have a specific question for the community, though.
About two years ago, I started composting to manage all the "greens" my garden produces. Like many people here have pointed out, my biggest hurdle is finding enough "browns" to balance it out. I use every shred of cardboard and paper that I can get my hands on. Unfortunately, the sawmills in my area use treated wood, so sawdust is out—I do not want copper or sulfur salts leaching into my pile.
However, I have found an unlimited source of straw bedding from nearby horse boxes.
On its own, clean straw is obviously a brown. But this stuff has traces of horse urine and manure mixed in, which are high-nitrogen greens. Visually, the material is mostly straw with a light-to-moderate amount of manure clumps and damp, urine-soaked spots—it is not heavy, pure muck, but it definitely is not clean straw either.
I know composting cannot be reduced to a strict, binary dichotomy of green vs. brown, but as a relative novice, I like to use it to eyeball my pile. Right now, my general rule of thumb for garden waste is roughly 1 part green to 2 or 3 parts brown.
For those of you who compost horse bedding: how do you personally look at this material?
I would love to hear some real-world advice and tips from anyone who has run a pile with this stuff. Thanks a lot!