NATURAL ELTHAM


Nature in your Garden Much


of the talk in conservation these days is about the


creation of wildlife ‘landscapes’, so that species are not just confi ned to reserves or individual locations but can move around from area to area.


In a part of the world like ours, householders can help create these landscapes, because so much of the open space consists of back gardens.


ponds have been lost. Smooth newts are relatively common, but the great crested variety is fairly rare and toads have become fairly uncommon. So making suitable habitats in our gardens can give a valuable helping hand.


Many people have already added water features to create conditions for an interesting range of plants and a home for wildlife. These can be particularly benefi cial to amphibians and this is a good time of year to think about adding a wildlife pond to your garden.


It’s a common misconception that our native amphibians actually live in ponds. In fact, they only tend to take up residence there in the spring for breeding purposes or as an emergency refuge from predators.


Numbers of amphibians living locally have reduced dramatically in recent years as the amount of unused land has reduced and


Nature Club Moths


will be the subject of Eltham Nature


Club’s meeting in September.


The club will use equipment to trap and identify a wide variety of the largely nocturnal species.


The meeting will take place at the Environmental Curriculum Service


It will be on Tuesday September 20 at 7.30pm; members and non-members are welcome, entrance £1.50 and £3. More details are on the club’s website www.elthamnatureclub.co.uk or from 07894 711765.


Urban Bee Keeping Course Woodlands


Farm, the


area’s community farm on Shooters Hill, will be hosting a varied programme of events during the autumn.


In September, a course on urban bee keeping will be held at the farm, to give practical advice on making honey. See


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pages 24 & 25 for details. The four hour course is being organised by Greenwich Community College.


In October and November, it holds two of its most popular annual events. On October 29, there will be a celebration of the English apple, to tie in with National Apple Day. There will be food


Having bred and left their off spring behind as eggs, in the case of newts, or spawn in the case of frogs and toads, the adults then


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head off elsewhere in the garden, normally hiding in the undergrowth or beneath stones.


The miniature sized baby frogs and toads, about the size of a pea, normally crawl out of the pond in mid-summer and it’s especially important that there is some longer grass or foliage for them to head towards to keep them from predators or drying up in the sun.


It’s about this time of year that the baby newts start leave the pond to start their adult life, living under stones and leaves until it’s time to hibernate.


Therefore, autumn is the ideal time to do work on existing ponds or create new ones. Take some time to study the features needed to attract wildlife; there’s plenty of advice on the internet.


By spring, you’ll have a nature reserve of your own.


centre in Bexley Road, which has nine acres of varied habitat.


sales, refreshments and a chance to see the farm’s wide range of animals.


The annual Christmas fair will be held on Sunday November 27. Both events are free and run through the day. More details from the farm’s website www.thewoodlandsfarmtrust.org


Take a walk in the Pleasaunce


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