Froglife

Leaping forward for reptiles and amphibians

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november

What our animals are doing this month… November 2020

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We’ve recently covered what our amphibians and reptiles are up to over the autumn months, the differences in their overwintering behaviour and where they may spend the colder seasons in structures such as hibernacula. 

It might surprise many however to hear that November can be a month for sighting Common Frogspawn in the south of England.  Common frogs usually begin breeding and laying spawn as spring commences – often with sightings in January and February into spring depending on their location in the UK.  But areas in Cornwall do report sightings of frogspawn before winter even fully commences.

This behaviour could be due to confusion during mild autumn and winter months that we can experience now in the UK or might be a strategy to get ahead of the game in terms of breeding times – albeit it with a huge risk of freezing temperatures affecting the survivability of the spawn.

This could be one sign of more to come in terms of our amphibians adapting to the effects of climate change and seasonal differences their behaviour isn’t quite adapted to.  It’s so important that we can monitor these yearly trends in our amphibian and reptile species to help inform our work at Froglife and you can help by submitting your sightings using the Dragon Finder App – available for free on Android and iPhone devices!

Frogspawn in November? Surely not! But this sighting can occur in mild autumns in the south of England

Remember, remember… the toads this November

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As we do every November, Froglife is reminding people to thoroughly check their bonfires for wildlife before lighting them…

At this time of year, toads, frogs and newts are all looking for somewhere safe and frost-free to see out the winter. A big pile of logs, leaves and twigs may be the ingredients for a perfect bonfire, but they’re also an ideal hiding place for amphibians, hedgehogs and all sorts of other garden inhabitants.
Here are a few tips to make help make your celebrations more wildlife-friendly:

  • Collect your wood and other bonfire materials in a separate place to where you’ll be having the bonfire, and move them just before you want to light the fire, ideally as late in the day as possible.  If you’re going to an organised event you could get in touch beforehand and ask if they need any help searching for uninvited guests!
  • If you do come across any animals, just transfer them to a similar habitat in another part of the garden.  They may be a little disorientated but the disturbance won’t do them any harm.
  • Just before lighting, have a last check through with a torch and then ensure the fire is only lit from one side so anything left within has the chance to escape.
  • Try to burn only clean, untreated wood on your bonfire, with no nasty varnish, paint or plastics so you don’t release toxic chemicals in the smoke

You could create a permanent log and leaf pile specifically for frogs, toads, newts, lizards, hedgehogs and other creatures to hide in over winter in a quiet corner of the garden.  Other wildlife-friendly features include compost heaps and rockeries. Find out more here.

Don’t forget if you do spot any amphibians or reptiles to use our Dragon Finder App to help identify and record your sightings!

So, have fun this fireworks night but remember what might be buried in your bonfire!