3170 Mediterranean temporary ponds
Description and ecological characteristics
Mediterranean temporary ponds consist of winter-flooded areas, which dry out to give vegetation rich in annuals; many of these are nationally rare species of southern European distribution, which are principally confined to this habitat type, for example pygmy rush Juncus pygmaeus, pennyroyal Mentha pulegium and yellow centaury Cicendia filiformis. There are two main pool types: a more acid pool community of trampled and grazed areas, often found on flooded trackways, and a basic pool type on serpentine rock found only at The Lizard, Cornwall.
European status and distribution
This habitat mainly occurs within the Mediterranean countries.
UK status and distribution
Only one site in the UK, The Lizard, is known to contain significant areas of this habitat type with the rich assemblages of the rare and local species for which the habitat type is noted; temporary pools in the New Forest support elements of this assemblage, but are not considered to be fully characteristic of the Annex I type.
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Site accounts
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The Lizard
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
There are widespread examples of the serpentine variant of Mediterranean temporary ponds on the Lizard heaths. A number of rare species, including chives Allium schoenoprasum, dwarf rush Juncus capitatus and land quillwort Isoetes histrix, occur in this habitat type. The acid pool type is the main locality on the Lizard for an important assemblage of rare species, including pigmy rush Juncus pygmaeus, three-lobed crowfoot Ranunculus tripartitus and yellow centaury Cicendia filiformis. A number of these pools support important invertebrate populations, including the water beetles Graptodytes flavipes and Dryops striatellus. However, in many areas the habitat type is much reduced, as trackways that once ensured the creation of the pools have fallen into disuse.
Many designated sites are on private land: the listing of a site in these pages does not imply any right of public access.
Please note that the map shows sites where the presence of a feature is classed as ‘grade d’, but these sites are not listed. This is because ‘grade d’ indicates a non-significant presence.