Swanwick Lakes features
Habitats
- mixed woodland with spring flowers
- flower rich meadows with populations of butterflies like Marbled Whites
- deep blue-green lakes
Things to look out for
1. Look out for evidence of the industrial heritage of the site…
- brick pathways and bases of buildings
- concrete road
- parts of the old conveyor belt which transported clay around the reserve
…..and of a former agricultural use - strawberry ridges, plough furrows and soft fruit bushes growing in the woods!
2. Fantastic views out over the lakes
3. Horses grazing in the meadows in late summer
Wildlife Highlights
- Great crested newts in the ponds and lakes
- Purple emperor butterflies in the treetops
- The delicate pink flowers of grass vetchling in the meadows in June and July
- Tall flowering spikes of common spotted orchids in June
- The brilliant flash of the kingfisher over the lakes
- Carpets of fleabane in late summer
- Buzzards circling overhead
- Several rare invertebrate species
Seasonal specialities
Spring
- Ducklings
- Great spotted woodpeckers drumming
- Little grebe nesting
- Cowslips, primroses and bluebells
Summer
- Carpets of common spotted orchids
- Flower rich meadows teeming with butterflies and other insects
- Dragonflies and damselflies swooping over the Lakes • If you’re lucky, a sighting of the elusive purple emperor butterfly
Autumn
- Spectacular autumn colours reflected in the water of the lakes
- Rich variety of different fungi
- Nuthatches and treecreepers on the trees
Winter
- look out for the kingfisher darting across Centre Lake
- Gadwall feeding on New Lake
- Flocks of goldfinch and long tailed tits
- Roe deer drinking from the lakes
