Amphibians

Frogs, toads and newts. A pond is the single most valuable thing you can add to a garden for wildlife — and there are rules about what you must never move between ponds.

None of these have a Great Britain Red List assessment we could verify. We say “not assessed” rather than inventing a category — it is not the same as saying a species is doing fine.

• Not assessed

  Common frog

  Rana temporaria

  Never move spawn between ponds — ranavirus has no cure. And the right pond is far shallower than you have been told.

• Not assessed

  Common toad

  Bufo bufo

  Dry warty skin, a walking gait, and spawn in strings not clumps. Britain's best slug control, and it wants a log pile.

• Not assessed

  Great crested newt

  Triturus cristatus

  Britain's largest newt and a European Protected Species. Black and warty, orange belly, jagged crest. Handling one requires a licence.

• Not assessed

  Smooth newt

  Lissotriton vulgaris

  The newt you almost certainly have. Up to 10cm, spotted throat, a wavy crest on the breeding male. Needs a pond in spring and damp cover all year.