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The Ecological Importance of Small Freshwater Bodies

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Small Freshwater Bodies include ponds, ditches, springs and flushes. All of these provide huge ecological benefits, supporting a wide range of aquatic species and offsetting some of the negative impacts of many environmental issues facing us such as climate change, flooding and noise pollution.

Ponds support an extraordinary two-thirds of all freshwater species and are central to the survival of many including frogs, toads, newts, a huge range of aquatic invertebrates and plants. Freshwater Bodies also provide mammals and birds with drinking water and some species such as grass snakes with important foraging areas.

One third of ponds are thought to have disappeared in the last fifty years or so and of those that remain more than 80% are considered to be in ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ condition (Freshwater Habitats Trust research). This has had an enormous impact on aquatic wildlife. 

Creating a clean, new pond is one of the simplest and most effective ways to protect freshwater wildlife.  Where it is not a viable option to create new ponds, restoring existing, depleting ponds is greatly beneficial.

You can find tonnes of information on pond creation in our Just Add Water leaflet here. 

What our animals are doing this month….

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It is generally said that February is the month when common frogs start to return to their ponds, breed and lay their spawn. This is due to better weather conditions and warmer temperatures. However, with an ever-warming climate, the Common Frog can breed as early as January.

Frogs are the first amphibian to start breeding with the Common Toad usually breeding from March, the Natterjack Toad in April and Pool Frog in May.

How to spot frogs and their spawn in your local pond? Make sure to keep an eye out for clumps of jelly-like eggs floating on the pond surface and they can lay up to 2000 eggs per year. Common Toad spawn, as stated above, is laid later than Common Frog spawn so it is unlikely you will see this in your pond until March. Toad spawn can be identified by the fact it is laid in strings usually wrapped around plants on and below the water rather than clumps on the surface.

If you do see any Common Frog spawn, Common Toad spawn or other amphibians or reptiles, make sure to let us know through Froglife’s free Dragon Finder app on the Google Play and Apple Store! 

Seen frogspawn like this? Report it on our Dragon Finder app!

What our animals are doing this month….

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March is often a good month to spot common toads as they migrate from their overwintering sites to breeding ponds, particularly on warm, damp evenings. Every year they return to the same pond via the same route, but they can get into trouble if humans build along these routes. Roads in particular can make this migration dangerous, but our wonderful volunteer Toad Patrollers are working hard to reduce this risk by helping common toads safely cross roads along their migration routes.

Once they arrive at breeding ponds, males grasp onto the backs of females forming an amplexus, allowing the male to fertilise her eggs as she lays them. Mating balls often form where multiple males hold onto one female, and unfortunately this can sometimes end up with the female being drowned. However, many female toads do survive and successfully breed, producing a new generation of common toads! Unlike common frogs which lay their eggs in clumps, common toads lay their eggs in long strings wrapped around pond vegetation, so you may have to look a little closer to spot the toad spawn!

To find out more about toad patrols take a look at our website. 

A pair of common toads in amplexus during the breeding season

TOAD IN THE HOLE!   Froglife’s new Yorkshire T.O.A.D project, leaps forward thanks to a ‘Green Recovery Challenge Fund Award’.

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At a time when amphibians are declining at a faster rate than birds and mammals, Froglife’s new Yorkshire T.O.A.D. (Tails of Amphibian Discovery) project is about to launch, with a grant by the ‘Green Recovery Challenge Fund’ – a key player in the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan to kick-start nature recovery and tackle climate change. Froglife is one of the first environmental projects awarded a grant from the £80million fund which is being delivered by the National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England and the Environment Agency. The funding, just shy of £250k, (£247,800)  is set to run from now until 31st March 2022 and builds on Froglife’s existing work in Yorkshire –  from the successful Toad Summit they ran in 2020 to their extensive habitat work, in particular a corridor in Sheffield helping birds and dormice as well as amphibians.

Yorkshire T.O.A.D will focus on work around Common Toads, a species that has declined by 68% over 30 years, and if allowed to continue at the same rate, could be extinct within 10. Froglife will address these declines by working with council landowners in Wakefield, Kirklees, Leeds, York and Calderdale on 22 wildlife sites that have been identified either as in need of restoration or will benefit from new habitat creation,  by helping improve freshwater and terrestrial habitats whilst also implementing mitigation strategies at toad patrol sites. They hope to create 32 ponds, restore 22, plant 5 wildflower meadows and install 1 dipping platform and deliver a volunteer training programme on habitat management for a minimum of 660 volunteers.

Froglife have already been co-ordinating ‘Toads on the Roads’ toad patrols up and down the country for over 20 years. Yorkshire T.O.A.D will work with existing toad patrols in Yorkshire, to undertake a toad patrol audit in order to identify further improvements that can be made to stop toad road mortality – the largest contributor to the decline in toad populations. (Toads return to their traditional breeding ponds each year and new and busier roads are hard for them to successfully navigate).

Credit: Peter Wolstenholme

To raise awareness and understanding of the importance of conserving toads and indeed all of the UKs wildlife as well as the vital role that nature plays in combatting the negative impacts of climate change, Yorkshire T.O.A.D will also run a public engagement programme. This will include working with communities to create 5 Neighbourhood Wildlife Corridors through urban landscapes, the hosting of Wildlife Gardening Workshops and Open Days: Pond Doctor Marquees, VR Experience, AR Experience, Wildlife Photography, Walks and Graffiti Boards.

Kathy Wormald, CEO of Froglife said “At other sites where we’ve made habitat improvements, we’ve witnessed an increase in common toad populations so we’re very excited to have received this funding to further are work in Yorkshire, a county in which we already have close working relationships.”

Environment Minister, Rebecca Pow, speaking of Yorkhire T.O.A.D and all of the other projects which have been awarded government funding said:  

“These projects will drive forward work across England to restore and transform our landscapes, boost nature and create green jobs, and will be a vital part of helping us to build back greener from coronavirus. I look forward to working with environmental organisations as these projects help address the twin challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change, while creating and retaining jobs as part of the green recovery.”

 

 

What our animals are doing this month… March 2020

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March is usually a good time to see our common toads migrating towards their breeding ponds, although the weather and temperature are strong factors for when that happens from year to year.

Toads mostly travel by night so the best time to observe them is at dusk and before dawn. Then once at the pond, the peak of mating and spawning is most likely to occur at or close to a full moon.

Males tend to arrive first at the breeding ponds, with females and smaller males appearing later.  It is common for some males to await the arrival of the females on land surrounding the pond, which leads to many females arriving with males already in amplexus (where the males use specially developed, rough pads on the first two digits of their forefeet to grasp and hold onto the backs of females).

Unfortunately this obvious eagerness to breed and a high male-to-female ratio can lead to mating balls as pictured.  This can even lead to fatal results in some cases with individuals in the centre drowning if the ball is not broken up.  In happier circumstances breeding and spawning takes place, with common toad spawn being laid in strings with rows of two eggs – often wrapped around plants in the pond.

A mating ball of three males and one female common toad.  ©Charlotte Pearson

West Yorkshire Toad Summit 2020

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toads on roads logoFroglife’s annual Toad Summit returns, this year taking place in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Our partners are Calderdale Council, Halifax Scientific Society, Amphibian and Reptile Groups UK (ARG-UK) and local toad patrols. It is an excellent opportunity for Toad Patrol members and fellow toad enthusiasts to get together, share ideas, and learn more about the best ways to conserve our native toads.

The afternoon will include a short programme of talks with plenty of time for discussion and networking.

Speakers include:

Angela Julian, Amphibians and Reptile groups UK

Gordon Maclellan, Creeping Toad

Hugh Firman, Calderdale Council

Steve Blacksmith, Halifax Scientific Society

Local Toad Patrol Managers

This event is FREE and takes place on Saturday 25th January 2020. The event is open to all Toad Patrollers and anyone else interested in learning more about toad conservation. For further information and to register for your free ticket, click here. 

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