Newtown Pool

The pool, with its associated variety of habitats, make this area a particularly attractive site. The pool itself supports interesting marginal flora, a number of different types of fish and provides a refuge for water-fowl. The surrounding tree and scrub vegetation is favoured by birds, such as reed warblers and reedbuntings.

Flora and fauna

One of the main features of interest is the graduation from wetland to meadow vegetation formed at the southwest end of the pool. There, an impressive plant community is found with a good varied matrix of sedges and rushes, including glaucous, false fox, carnations, oval and of most interest star sedge, and note here is marsh arrow-grass. Between this area and the pool is some willow/alder carr, which is a rare habitat type in the West Midlands. Additionally the site is good for populations of frogs, dragonflies and damselflies.

Management recommendations

In order to maintain the site and in particular the hydrosere, any threat of pollution of the water draining in to the area should be alleviated and any invasive scrub removed. Some of the meadowland to the southwest ought to be retained in any planning development to act as a buffer zone to the wetland. An appropriate hay-cutting regime can be applied to the meadow to enhance the conservation interest.

The grassland in the remainder of the site would benefit from a less intense mowing regime; this is particularly true of areas around the pools. Grazing should also be controlled. One or two of the pools are becoming over dominated by reed sweet-grass, which should be cut.

Some of the hawthorn scrub is over mature and needs tending to. Small areas could be periodically cut to diversify the age range.