Rivers, Lakes and Canals
Running and open water, and the life along its edge.
Rivers carry life as well as water: fish moving up and down, insects whose larvae live in the gravel, kingfishers hunting from a branch. The banks matter as much as the water, because a natural margin of reeds, tree roots and overhanging branches gives shelter and food.
Lakes and canals can be rich too, particularly where the edge is soft and planted rather than a hard wall.
256 species and 580 sightings have been recorded in rivers, lakes and canals habitat by the Bosk community.
Species you may see in rivers, lakes and canals habitat
- Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
- Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans)
- Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera)
- Red-Bellied Snake (Storeria occipitomaculata)
- Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula)
- Coypu (Myocastor coypus)
- Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)
- Fire Salamander (Salamandra salamandra)
- Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
- Green Treefrog (Dryophytes cinereus)
- Pond Slider (Trachemys scripta)
- Hart's-Tongue Fern (Asplenium scolopendrium)
- Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
- Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens)
- Common Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina)
- Mile-a-Minute Weed (Persicaria perfoliata)
- Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra)
- Smooth Newt (Lissotriton vulgaris)
- Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria)
- American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)
- Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis)
- Great Egret (Ardea alba)
- American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus)
- Common Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea)
What to look for
- Mute Swan and Great Crested Grebe
- Kingfisher
- Grey Heron
- Dragonflies in summer
Rivers, Lakes and Canals through the year
Spring
Birds pair up and nest on the banks; fish spawn.
Summer
Dragonflies and swimming birds with young.
Autumn
Salmon and trout runs in some rivers; waterfowl gather.
Winter
Ducks on open water; look for kingfishers on low branches.
Why Rivers, Lakes And Canals Matter
- Clean, connected rivers support fish that migrate.
- Bankside vegetation shades and cools the water.
- Many birds and bats feed over water at dawn and dusk.
How to be kind to rivers, lakes and canals wildlife
- Do not feed bread to waterfowl.
- Keep to paths so the bank is not eroded.
- Take litter and fishing line away.
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