Mount Farm Ponds

Five small ponds with associated grassland banks. Pond sedge, marsh-bedstraw and marsh cinquefoil can be seen amongst the vegetation rafts on the two southerly ponds.

Location
The reserve consists of five small ponds, lying to the south of Woodhouse End Road, 2km east of the A536 (Macclesfield/Congleton Road), just west of the railway (O.S. Grid Ref.: SJ905698).

Access
From the A536, turn left (travelling towards Congleton) in Gawsworth Warren (SJ 886706). Bear left at a road junction after 100 metres, and follow Woodhouse End Road. The reserve is on your right. Cars should be parked at the side of the road.
Access can also be obtained via the A523 (Macclesfield'Leek Road). From Macclesfield turn right at the crossroads at SJ 916695, cross the canal on the swing bridge. After 1km cross the railway, the reserve is about 200 metres past the railway on the left hand side.

Status
The reserve covers 0.4 acres (0.16 ha). It is held by agreement from Cheshire County Council's Estates and Valuation Department.

Flora
The five ponds have differing characters. All of them except the most westerly pond are inter-connected. They are the result of marl excavation during the eighteenth century. The most southerly pond is overgrown with a raft of vegetation, and the one to the north of this has a marginal raft of vegetation with a central area of open water. Those ponds to the east, north east and west are heavily silted and dry out during the summer. It is intended to dredge the east pond, but allow the other two to develop into wetland habitats. Between the ponds there are areas of unimproved grassland.
Species recorded from the rafts of the two most southerly ponds include pond sedge Carex riparia, marsh bedstraw Galium palustre and marsh cinquefoil Potentilla palustris. The emergent marsh contains hard rush Juncus inflexus, ragged robin Lychnis flos-cuculi, and bittersweet Solanum dulcamara. Within the unimproved grassland, yarrow Achillea millefolium, devil's bit scabious Succisa pratensis and meadow vetchling Lathyrus pratensis occur.

Fauna
Frogs use the area for spawning, and numerous small mammal runs have been observed, together with holes, on the eastern bank side. Small mammals recorded include water shrew. Mallard, blackbird, wood pidgeon, house sparrow, chaffinch, dunnock and song thrush have been recorded.