The Unexpected Beauty of Croydon

I'm a big fan of ponds. Even a tiny pond can support a huge amount of life. This is the best time of year to see life in ponds, at the start of the breeding season. The great thing about ponds is that while at first glance you may not see anything, stay still and watch for a few minutes and you may spot the golden eyes of frogs peering at you from just above the surface, or newts popping up for air.  This post is about some of the living creatures that live in or visit ponds. I won't cover waterfowl like ducks, geese and swans here, I'm focusing on the less visible creatures. At the end, I've listed some of the ponds locally which are good for wildlife. Common frogs Frog, Littleheath Woods, Feb 2021 Most people are familiar with frogs and their spawn, which they lay in large clumps. Frogs spend the winter hibernating in damp places, such as under piles of leaves, mud or logs. In early spring, they emerge and head for ponds, where they mate and lay spawn.  Gradually the ...

One of Croydon's most beautiful parks year-round, Heathfield is especially vibrant in springtime. The house is surrounded by ornamental gardens, water features and woodland. Heathfield House was owned by Raymond Riesco until 1964 and is now used as a training centre by Croydon Council.  I saw some bumblebees at Heathfield on Christmas Day 2020 Already, there are daffodils, crocuses and irises coming through in the gardens. In just a few weeks, spring will be in full swing. I wrote this post based on memories and photographs of previous springtime visits to this little patch of paradise in Croydon. There is a round pond near the house which appears quite barren in the winter but it supports dragonflies, damselflies, frogspawn and visiting ducks in the spring and summer.  In front of the house there are grass terraces with flowerbeds and a rose garden, with views over fields down Gravel Hill towards New Addington. Horses from the neighbouring farm are often found in the fields, ...

We are very much in the bleak midwinter at the moment. It's near impossible to make plans for the future. But what a lot of people around the world noticed during the first lockdown is that nature didn't stop. All the other species continued life as normal - some even took advantage of the reduced human activity. Spring - or baby animal season - is my favourite time of year.  I know we're not there yet, but here's some things to look out for around Croydon as spring arrives: Blossom and spring flowers Some trees actually produce blossom in the winter. There's a winter flowering cherry tree on Barclay Road outside Croydon Crown Courts which was flowering in December 2019 and January 2020. 2nd January 2020, Croydon Crown Court Snowdrops tend to start flowering during winter, but they're a sign that spring is on its way. Coombe Wood, February 2020 Crocuses are another early spring flower which are abundant in Croydon parks, gardens and other green spaces. In 2020, ...