Did you know that Chelmsford City Council looks after more than 80 ponds across our district? Each place has its own unique management plan and over the summer our parks team were busy recording species and planning work for the autumn and winter.
To give you an idea of what’s involved in caring for these hotspots of biodiversity, Love Your Chelmsford has created a video of our wonderful parks volunteers in action at The Willows pond in Boreham this week. The team has been trained to use traditional tools like scythes to carefully clear the edges of the pond now that the wildflowers and grasses have dropped their seeds. Pond weed has also been cleared from the water to give newts and frogs a helping hand as we head towards winter.
The ponds on our doorsteps are important areas for wildlife of all kinds and are visited by animals like hedgehogs and foxes throughout the year. Cutting the tall grass at just the right time of year helps to keep things in balance and should ensure some beautiful wildflowers next year, which will give many creatures food and #spacetothrive
