Anniversary of the Paddock
It is two years since the Paddock project began - find out how it has has changed
It is two years since the Paddock Project began, and three new ponds were created. In that time the difference in the ponds has been incredible.
When first dug, they were just empty holes in the ground, but an amazing variety of stunning aquatic plants are now present, some introduced by us but many that have found their own way in. This year with the mixture of warm and wet weather, the plants have grown exponentially.
The water mint, has beautiful pink flowers and is very attractive to insects such as bees and hoverflies. Smooth newts lay eggs on their submerged leaves, fold them over and glue them down so they are safe until ready to hatch. The pretty water forget-me-not also has small leaves which are perfect for newts to lay eggs on. Purple loosestrife is another beautiful plant which attracts butterflies and other insects. Lesser spearwort is in the buttercup (ranunculus) family and provides nectar source for insects and marsh cinquefoil is another fantastic native plant for ponds.
Blue tailed damselfly, common darter and four spotted chaser dragonflies buzz around the ponds on warm summer days and have been laying their eggs in the water. We have even found damselfly larvae whilst pond dipping! We have had many pond dipping events in the Paddock ponds, with children discovering a variety of creatures including water boatmen, phantom midge larvae, pea mussels, great diving beetles, flatworms, ramshorn snails, water scorpions, smooth newts and many more. The pond dipping platforms we use for this are made from 100% recycled plastic and supplied by Marmax Recycled Products.
The resident brown hare likes to sit quietly in the rushes, near the ponds, letting people get close and in winter occasionally a snipe will rise with a clatter as it notices you. The hedges provide vital habitat for yellowhammers and reed buntings in winter, and goldfinches, tree sparrows and chaffinches in summer.
The Scottish Water Hide overlooks the Folly Pond and out to the Solway Firth and the Lake District hills. From this hide the whooper swans, teal and wigeon paddle around in the water just in front of the hide and large flocks of thousands of barnacle geese fly over to graze on the fields beyond. The badgers pass by in summer and at this time of the year the hide becomes a home for swallows which have built a nest using mud inside the hide and have raised two broods successfully this summer. This is a great hide to observe a range of fantastic wildlife.
The paddock was home to the Lego Brick Animal Trail in May and June, with Flavia the Flamingo sitting by the middle pond for two months! And over the summer holidays families have been enjoying getting close to nature, following the Wild Child Trail through the rushes and carefully walking along the balance beams.
We are grateful to Scottish Water for funding us to create this wonderful habitat for wildlife and giving our visitors the opportunity to learn about and get closer to nature.
