Wildlife pond in the north Appenninies

[Giacomo]

Hi guys!
I just wanted to show you my small wildlife pond i made near my house in the northern Appenninies (near Bologna) at 450 meters above sea level.
Actually, i have introduced some local plants, like Iris pseudocorus, Vallisneria spiralis, Alisma plantago-aquatica, Ceratophyllum submersum.
About amphibians, lots of species arrived in there. As you know, here in Italy one of the major conservation problem of them is the drought and heat that are increasing year by year due to climate change. So, a small pond like the one I made, can make the different for the amphibians populations.
Actually, the species i saw in there are: italian smooth newt (Lissotriton v. meridionalis), italian alpine newt (I.alpestris apuana), italian crested newt (T.carnifex), common toad (not so common here anymore.. Bufo bufo), agile frog (Rana dalmatina) and pool frog complex (Pelophylax kl. esculentus and Pelophylax lessonae)*

*This last one frog species complex is really threatened here due to the introduced of invasive species from balkan (Pelophylax ridibundus complex) with the ability to hybridize with local species leading to their disappearance.
Let me know what do you think, and any suggestions are higly appreciated!

Giacomo

 

[JM29]

Very good idea.

Since most of these species spend only part of the year in the pond, you could try to increase the number of hides around the pond.
In spite of the fact they can move within 500 meters around the breeding pond, most newts will stay within 20 meters or so.

 

[Giacomo]

Very good idea.

Since most of these species spend only part of the year in the pond, you could try to increase the number of hides around the pond.
In spite of the fact they can move within 500 meters around the breeding pond, most newts will stay within 20 meters or so.

Thank you! I've never thought about that!
Maybe because near the pond there is a small piece of deciduous wood exposed to North, so always fresh and cool during the summer period, but despite that i think I must increase the hides around the pond anyway.
May you give me some ideas? I was thinking about dead woods, rocks, tiles and maybe some bushes (like privet or hawthorn?). But if you have some pics, i'll be happy to get inspired by them!

 

[JM29]

I was thinking about dead woods, rocks, tiles and maybe some bushes (like privet or hawthorn?).

All of these are good.
Dead wood (large pieces) is generally preferred by Amphibians compared to rocks but piles of medium sized pebbles can be exploited.
Tiles can also be useful as they provide a large surface on the soil, which should be coarse.

Unfortunately I've no photo to show you.
I think you can compose something interesting and esthetic with objects of your choice.
Cover objects (wood, rocks, tiles,...) should be shaded by bushes or trees to be convenient for Amphibians.
If they are in full sun, they'll be better home for reptiles.