frogs

A Garden Pond Over 19 Years

September 1, 2024 by Admin

Written by Johanna Griffin

People often say it would be nice to record what’s going on in their wildlife gardens and its really easy to become a Citizen Scientist and gather information that is useful to organisations such as Froglife. Jo Griffin has been keeping records of what’s going on in her pond for nearly 20 years and Froglife are looking to see if they can provide additional information about how frogs are responding to temperature changes across the UK. In this article Jo outlines her work and shows how simple record keeping and regular surveying over long periods can provide a valuable indication of how that natural world fluctuates and changes and may be of importance as a way of monitoring changes to species distribution and abundance.

I was so excited to see a garden pond with frog spawn in it, together with two adult frogs climbing up the waterfall, when we went to view the potential new home for a viewing. It clinched the deal-we had to buy this property! The pond was very new then- the maximum possible age was 3 years. The garden was sparse at the time and situated on a slope with sapling trees behind the garden in open space, leading to the foothills of the Ochil Hills of Clackmannanshire. (The wee county with the long name)! We planted more shrubs and trees and over the last 19 years the garden has matured beyond all recognition. The saplings behind the garden, (planted sometime around 2002) are now VERY tall, mature trees in what has become a woodland habitat supporting all manner of wildlife.

I have always been fascinated by frogs since childhood. (Remember trying to ‘hypnotise’ them by gently stroking their noses when their heads popped up to the surface?!) Having my own garden pond at last was therefore very exciting, and I look forward each year to the frenzied activity of mating frogs filling the pond in what I term ‘frog-fest’! I have kept records since 2005 of the date of first spawn appearing, and other interesting observations, such as the maximum number of frogs visible in the pond at the time that I was looking out of the kitchen window. Some years it was necessary to video the pond in order to count the huge numbers of frogs accurately. (They keep diving and swimming across the pond…..it makes counting very difficult)!

The pond is roughly triangular in shape and holds approximately 1848 litres of water. There is plenty of mud on the bottom, and despite vigorous efforts to remove so-called ‘dwarf’ water lilies, which have taken over much of the surface, enough of the rhizomes remained to grow again this season. The underside of these lily pads attract small leeches when in contact with the water. Brooklime, water forget-me-not and duckweed cover the remaining surface currently.


The pond when new in 2007	The pond now in August 2024	Plenty of tadpoles

Below is a table of First Spawning dates, with notes on the maximum number of frogs
counted at any one time during the day:

Year	Date of first spawning	Notes
2005	18th March
2006	19th March	Greater water boatmen infesting pond
2007	26th February	44 frogs seen at lunchtime
2008	24th February	70-80 frogs during day. (Mass migration of frogs crossing A91 at 22.45hrs on 01/04/08)
2009	26th February	60-70 frogs during day
2010	12th March	53 frogs seen sunny lunchtime. 1 taken by heron! No tadpoles left in pond by 18/04/10. Pond froze over twice after spawn was laid. (Mass migration of frogs crossing A91 from River Devon to farmland on other side of road. Loads were squashed unfortunately)
2011	7th March	32 frogs during the day. By 29th May most of tadpoles missing from pond.
2012	Sometime between 17:00, 29th Feb and noon 4th March	103 in pond on sunny day. Not many tadpoles survived however. Blanket weed problem?
2013	6th March	80+ frogs seen on sunny lunchtime. Great year for tadpole survival. An unusual year- frogs came and spawned in 3 distinct waves over several weeks. Exceptionally cold weather this March.
2014	10th March	60+ frogs. Best tadpole survival yet. 1/06/14- loads of froglets with varying lengths of tail hopping around the fern and dianthus plants on patio. Mass movement of froglets from pond to garden and beyond on 13/06/14. Awkward sideways flopping movement noted. Does the tail unbalance them? Best year yet for tadpoles ad successful dispersal from pond. 16/06/14-all gone from pond.
2015	5th March	50+ frogs seen in pond.
2016	10th March	Approx. 40 frogs seen.
2017	24th February	50-60 frogs
2018	11th March	24 frogs only seen
2019	1st March	13 frogs only. Lowest number of frogs yet.
2020	8th March	Approx. 25 frogs. (Nearby house had 1st spawning on this date too).
2021	1st March	Max. of 32 frogs seen during the day
2022	Sometime between 12th and 16th March	Max. of 20 frogs
2023	22nd February	Max of 28 frogs seen in afternoon. Approx. 11 individual spawnings counted.
2024	29th February	45 frogs seen during day

Preparing for Spring

February 1, 2024 by Admin

Written by Ellia Cobb, Transforming Lives Trainee.

It’s almost springtime again! Reptiles and amphibians will be getting ready to come out of their brumation and begin their breeding season, so what can you do to help them? If you have a wildlife pond at home it is important to finish up any pond maintenance you might want to do before the weather starts to warm up. Disturbing breeding and egg-laying amphibians can be very harmful, so ensuring good pond maintenance is essential.

Preparing your wildlife pond for spring is a simple task as they don’t require much work. Cutting back reed and grass from the pond if it is too overgrown to allow more sunlight in can hugely benefit the pond, but remember to leave enough for the breeding amphibians! Another thing you can do is remove leaf litter and sediment build up from the pond to prevent a decrease in the water quality, but this should be done before spring. Anything that is removed should be left by the pond for a few days just in case any wildlife remains inside of it, this gives them time to make their way back to the water (please see our Just Add Water guide for further tips).

Newts need vegetation to lay their eggs and toads and frogs need a safe place to lay their spawn away from predators.

The changing weather can be quite confusing for amphibians so it isn’t uncommon for them to start breeding earlier than expected, so don’t be alarmed if you spot any spawn or eggs quite early on. You do not need to move or disturb them. Newts need vegetation to lay their eggs and toads and frogs need a safe place to lay their spawn away from predators, so providing native pond plants and safe places for them to hide before spring starts is the best idea.

As for reptiles bramble, compost heaps, log piles, gorse and wooded areas are all places they may choose to breed in. This means that any garden maintenance shouldn’t be done during this time to prevent disturbance and endangerment.

You can find further information on how to make your gardens more wildlife friendly in our Idea Zone.

Amphibians In Urban Environments

August 29, 2023 by Admin

Written by Kaitlin Oliver, Transforming Lives Trainee

Amphibians in urban environments face a range of challenges due to the altered habitat, pollution and human activities associated with urbanization.

Urban development often involves the destruction of natural habitats which lead to the loss of breeding and feeding grounds for amphibians. Additionally, any remaining natural areas can become fragmented with lakes and woodlands being closed off by housing, making it difficult for amphibians to move between suitable habitats. This can lead to isolated populations and reduced genetic diversity, causing inbreeding.

Amphibians heavily rely on aquatic environments for breeding and larval development. Urban environments can expose amphibians to various forms of pollution, including chemical pollutants from runoff, air pollution and noise pollution. Amphibians have permeable skin that makes them sensitive to pollutants, leading to developmental deformities, immune system suppression and reduced reproductive success. Urban areas often have altered water bodies like unhealthy ponds, ditches and drainage systems that may be contaminated with pollutants, have fluctuating water levels, or lack suitable vegetation. These conditions can negatively impact amphibian survival rate and their larval survival.

Amphibians such as frogs and toads rely on using water sources such as lakes, rivers, forest ponds and garden ponds. Newts especially rely on healthy ponds to breed in. If you have space, adding a pond to your garden will not only help amphibians, but will also massively improve the lives of a variety of wildlife. Froglife has a booklet that you can download called ‘Just add water’ on our website if you are interested in building a pond suitable for amphibians.

Designing urban infrastructure with consideration for amphibians can make a significant difference. For example, creating artificial wetlands, amphibian-friendly green roofs, creating wildlife corridors, maintaining natural water bodies, implementing wildlife-friendly landscaping practices and constructing road barriers or tunnels to reduce road mortality can all provide fantastic habitats and mitigate the impacts of urbanization.

Citizen science is very important as it can help monitor the health and distribution of amphibians. If you have a pond that amphibians breed in or visit, please use our free Dragon Finder App to report your sightings. Roads and vehicles pose a significant threat to amphibians in urban areas, so another way you can help amphibians is through the Toads on Roads project, where you assist toads in your area with their spring migration journey crossing roads.

Urbanization poses numerous challenges for our declining populations of amphibians, however, there are opportunities for conservation and education. By implementing thoughtful planning, mitigation measures, and public engagement, it’s possible to create more amphibian-friendly urban landscapes and help protect these vital components of biodiversity.

The Importance of wildlife ponds in gardens

July 27, 2023 by Admin

Written by Ellia Cobb: Transforming Lives Trainee

There has been a 50% decline in pond habitats in the UK over the past century, with 80% of those remaining being classified as either in ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ condition. We can all do our bit to tackle this problem.

Wildlife ponds are amazing for wildlife, having a pond in your garden or greenspace is highly beneficial to all kinds of different species such as frogs, toads, newts and invertebrates. They provide a safe place for amphibians to feed, lay their spawn and raise their young as well as providing drinking and bathing water for other wildlife in the process.

Ponds don’t have to be perfect! Creating a pond can be a simple and fun activity and will add to the two thirds of support that garden ponds provide freshwater species already.

An effective way to create a pond suitable for amphibians and other species is to dig out and line your own, ensuring it is deep enough and sloped to allow wildlife to get in and out. It is important that the pond isn’t one depth and has shallow areas for amphibians to rest and deeper areas for hibernation. Ranges in depth are also great for planting a variety of vegetation. Planting different floating, marginal emergent and oxygenating plants will help your pond thrive and provide hiding places and egg-laying sites.

It is a good idea to use a durable pond liner so that your pond lasts many years. Be patient with your pond as it can take some time for wildlife to find them. They will not need much maintenance once finished.

You can find loads of advice in our Just Add Water booklet and on our Wildlife at Home web page on how to build ponds. Remember to send in your photos to info@froglife.org so we can share them on social media!

Save the Frogs Day

March 27, 2023 by Admin

Did you know it’s Save the Frogs Day on 28th April? These fascinating and important amphibians are considered to be one of our most common amphibians in the UK, but in recent years their populations have been declining substantially worldwide.

A main factor for this is habitat loss. Ponds that they would use for breeding are filled in for development purposes, decreasing habitat availability for breeding and general survival. Frogs are also frequently killed on roads whilst trying to cross to get to breeding sites.

Another danger frogs face is pesticides which accumulates in the frog’s tissue leading to a suppressed immune system affecting their mortality and can also cause reproductive changes. Air pollution and diseases such as ranavirus are also factors in their decline. Frogs are extremely sensitive to any changes in the environment, so the slightest shift in their natural conditions can drastically alter frogs’ survival. They are such an important species because they give us a great insight into the health of the ecosystems they inhabit.

We can help our frogs by raising awareness around the danger’s frogs face, being more environmentally friendly and by not using pesticides. You can also help these amazing amphibians by creating ponds in your garden where possible and making habitat stacks, let’s help save the frog’s by stacking your logs!

Find out more in our Just Add Water Guide and check out our Wildlife at Home web page for more tips!

Croaking Science: 2023 so far- what have we learned from the Dragon Finder App?

February 27, 2023 by Admin

As we fast approach the spring and our amphibians and reptiles begin to stir after their winter period of relative dormancy (known as brumation) we can expect sightings to increase in frequency. Whilst the occasional pioneering common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) or adder (Vipera berus) will emerge from their hibernacula to bask in winter sun, it’s the UK’s amphibians that bring the most herptile activity to this time of the year. This is reflected in the sightings that have been reported to Froglife’s Dragon Finder App so far in 2023.

At the time of writing (mid-February 2023), we’ve verified 42 reports submitted to the App; 24 sightings of common frogs (Rana temporaria), 6 encounters with common toads (Bufo bufo), 8 palmate newt sightings (Lissotriton helveticus), 2 smooth newt (Lissotriton vulgaris) sightings and 1 sighting of a great-crested newt (Triturus cristatus) and an alpine newt (Ichthyosaura alpestris) respectively.

All this amphibian action heralds the commencement of their breeding season. Common frogs lead the charge; the earliest report of frogspawn this year came to us from the Isles of Scilly, 45km south-west of mainland Cornwall, reported to us on the 9^th January yet seen on Christmas Eve! UK common frogs spawn earliest here due to the archipelago’s unique climate – the moderating oceanic influence on which means that winters are warmer there than anywhere else in the UK and consequently snow and frost (potentially detrimental to spawn) are rare. We’ve received a total of 11 frogspawn reports so far in 2023, with the majority of these coming from Devon & Cornwall, reflecting the relatively warm winters experienced by the southwest more broadly. We’re now looking forward to witnessing reports of frogspawn slowly popping up in increasingly northerly and easterly locations as we pass through February and into March and April.

We’ve received 6 reports of common toads, but only one of common toad spawn, reported from Devon. Interestingly, the Dragon Finder App user that made this sighting was also able to spot a number of instances of a frog and toad engaged with one-another in ‘amplexus’, the act of the male using rough nuptial or ‘thumb’ pads to clasp onto the female whilst she deposits spawn. Common toads often begin to migrate to their ancestral breeding ponds from February, waiting for a comparatively warm and wet evening to do so.

Therefore, be sure to keep a keen eye out for reptiles and amphibians as the winter draws to a close and make sure to report your sightings through our free Dragon Finder App – the data we receive provides a wonderful insight into what our species are up to, as well as when and where this activity is occurring. Happy spotting!

frogs

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