When spring arrives, many animals wake up from their winter sleep, and one of the most interesting ones is the newt. Let’s dive into the world of newts and learn about their life and behavior, especially around garden ponds.
In spring, newts make their way back to ponds to lay eggs after spending the cold months on land. This journey is called migration, and it makes ponds a great place to watch them, especially when they swim underwater.
In the UK, there are three kinds of newts: the smooth newt, the palmate newt, and the great crested newt. The smooth newt is the most common and can be found all over the country.
Newts are most active at sunrise and sunset. They eat small water creatures and are excellent swimmers. They use their tails, which look like paddles, to move through the water, swishing them side to side like fish.
Newts usually breed in April and May. During this time, male newts grow special crests on their backs, which they don’t have at other times of the year. They perform fancy dances and show off their bright colors to attract female newts. Female newts stay a bit paler during this time.
Female newts lay their eggs in small bunches wrapped in a clear jelly. They often hide them inside the leaves of water plants. After 2 to 4 weeks, baby newts, called larvae, hatch from these eggs. You can tell them apart from frog and toad tadpoles because they have feathery gills around their heads.
As the larvae grow, they start to develop legs, first the front ones and then the back ones. By summer, they leave the water and become young newts called efts. Meanwhile, adult newts stay in the water, hunting for frog tadpoles.
In spring, newts like ponds with lots of plants, which give them places to hide and lay eggs. But when summer turns into autumn, they often move to land, hiding under wood and rocks, where they hunt for slugs and insects.
The life cycle of newts is a wonderful part of spring in the UK. Watching them in ponds gives us a special look into the natural world and the amazing ways amphibians grow and change.
Pond Observation Adventure: If you have a garden pond or a nearby pond, take a trip with an adult to observe the newts. Bring a notebook and draw what you see. Can you spot any newts swimming or laying eggs? Write down or draw the different plants and animals you see around the pond. Think about why newts might like ponds with lots of plants.
Newt Dance Challenge: Just like male newts perform dances to attract females, create your own dance! Think about how newts move their tails side to side. Can you make a dance that shows how newts swim or how they might show off their colors? Perform your dance for your family or friends and explain what part of the newt’s life you are showing.
Newt Life Cycle Craft: Using craft materials like paper, markers, and scissors, create a model of the newt life cycle. Start with eggs, then larvae with feathery gills, and finally young newts (efts). Arrange them in a circle to show the cycle. Discuss with a friend or family member how each stage is different and why each stage is important for the newt’s survival.
