New Hartley Ponds
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Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ304763 | — | Favourable | 1.53 | 2010-09-28 |
Description
Area, 1.58 ha. 3.91 ac. Description The seasonal ponds at New Hartley, with their vegetation cover of amphibious bistort Polygonum amphibium, common spike rush Eleocharis palustris, water horsetail Equisetum fluviatile and water crowfoot Ranunculus aquatilis, are frequented by five species of breeding amphibian. Of particular note is the great crested newt* with a population in some years in excess of 500 individuals. The other species are smooth newt with a population of 500–1000 individuals, small numbers of palmate newt 12 and about 150 individuals each of frog and toad. The ponds are also frequented by damselflies with good populations of the blue tailed damselfly Ischnura elegans and the common darter Sympetrum striolatum. Other Information * The great crested newt Triturus cristatus is a protected species under schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Species mentioned
Show the 7 species mentioned in the description, with red-list status| English name search for this in other sites |
Latin name search with Google |
IUCN / Red List | Type | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| great crested newt | Triturus cristatus | LC | amphibian | salamandridae |
| blue-tailed damselfly | Ischnura elegans | LC | damselflies | coenagrionidae |
| common darter | Sympetrum striolatum | DD, LC | dragonfly | libellulidae |
| water horsetail | Equisetum fluviatile | LC | herb | equisetaceae |
| amphibious bistort | Polygonum amphibium | Not listed in GB list | herb | polygonaceae |
| water crowfoots | Ranunculus aquatilis | LC | herb | ranunculaceae |
| common spike rush | Eleocharis palustris | LC | rush | juncaceae |
Insects to look out for
These moths, butterflies and beetles are known to feed on plants recorded at this site, and carry a notable UK conservation status — but a host-plant being present doesn't mean the insect has actually been recorded here. Treat this as "worth watching for," not a confirmed sighting.
| Species | Status | Via host-plant |
|---|---|---|
| Beaded chestnut Agrochola lychnidis |
Near Threatened | Ranunculus spp. |
| Garden tiger Arctia caja |
Near Threatened | Equisetum fluviatile |
Host-plant data: Cook et al. (2025), Traits data for the butterflies and macro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland, 2024, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology / Butterfly Conservation; and Padovani et al. (2020), Database of Insects and their Food Plants (DBIF), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (both Open Government Licence). Contains data supplied by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.