Cheryl wrote:

I live in England and this year we had a total of 7 newts in the pond!

I haven't seen a newt, except in an aquarium store, since I left England.
Definitely never in my pond (which was fairly rural, but agricultural - no
trees to speak of - when we moved in, our property had ONE tree on an acre,
ot was much better when we left, but not by any stretch woodland). I had
lots of Green frogs, American toads and some tree frogs.

oh yes I forgot to mention the water snake too!

Water snake? I thought the UK had exactly two varieties of snake - grass
snakes and adders (and blindworms, but they're not really snakes).
Probably just as well I didn't know better when I was a kid.
--
derek