Topic: Frogs

[Mrs Ava]

soooo....frogs......nope, haven't spotted any in our garden yet, but we don't have a pond, we tend to find them lurking under all of our pots.  Did find that wee newt on the plot last week.  Ava would love a pond in the garden.....I sense yet another project on the horizon!  ;D

[Doris_Pinks]

There is a veritable orgy going on in my pond as I type! :o
My fish do not look impressed, and are ducking n diving to avoid being grabbed by an over enthusiastic amphibian! (friend lost a fish to one last year) When you see the pond boiling with activity, it makes you wonder where they have all been alll year!! (hopefully eating my slug population!) I must get the small pond on the lottie sorted to recieve frogspawn, as it looks like I shall have plenty  ;D  Horrah for nature

[Gardengirl]

I don't know if I am the first but my first lot of spawn has arrived in my pond ;D  As DP says there will probably be more to follow judging by the activity over the past couple of weeks.  Trouble is, I haven't got another pond to transfer the spawn to protect the taddies from the fish so I'm afraid they have to take their chances every year :(  Having said that, judging by the number of baby frogs I see each year, many of them seem to survive the jaws of my large orfe :-\ :)

[tricia]

Hi lads and lassies!

Is there anyone out there who lives in the Torbay area who has frog spawn to spare? My pond is only one year old and as yet I haven't seen any frogs homing in............there is lots of cover for them so I would really like to have some.

Alternatively, maybe someone can tell me where I could take a jam jar and have some hope of collecting some myself.

MTIA

Tricia

[bananagirl]

We now have piles upon piles of spawn. Every day I go to see the frogs, and there's more. They're well busy. I can hear them at night singing away as they get down to business. Looking forward to millions of tadpoles. Just hope it's not as dry as it was last year. Our pond evaporated some, which made it slightly scary for the taddies.

[kenkew]

You lot have took me back to my childhood, tromping around the pools with a string suspended jam-jar...This weekend I'm off around the lake by the plot 'frogging'. If I find any they're going in the man-made pond on my plot.

[jammyd]

You guys talking about frogs have inspired me! next year, I'm digging a pond on my plot  ;D

jams

[Hugh_Jones]

Just couldn`t let this thread go without a picture.



There are actually 35 frogs in this picture and five other similar patches of spawn. We counted over 100 frogs in this one pond this afternoon - they absolutely love mating in the mimulus.

[kenkew]

Mimulus? By 'eck, Hugh, that must be good stuff. Can I get it at the chemist?

[Hugh_Jones]

I don`t think so, ken, but no doubt we could find some room for you in the pond as well if you`re that desperate.

[kenkew]

Must be some pond to accomodate 100 frogs and two men, Hugh.

[Hugh_Jones]

Only one man, ken, only one.  I shall be on the side with a boathook making sure that the frogs get their moneysworth.

[jock_edin]

last year was first year for spawn and I beg'd some of a mate. They all disapeared over winter but there are a big fellow and I have seen a smaller one, could they be mine from last year or just a couple passing.  There is no sign of spawn but I did have a really good clear out (of the pond)three weeks ago as I have some gold fish, but what I want to no is, are the prey to cats. Cats cant get near the water so fish are ok, But the frogs well I dont know very much about them.

[Gardengirl]

Hi Jock - I have loads of frogs in my pond each year.  I also have two cats and they like to watch the frogs and occasionally chase them but I have never seen them harm a frog, so hopefully your frogs will be ok.  The large frog you have seen I would not have thought it was from your last year's spawn as I think they take a while to grow to full size (although someone will probably tell me I'm wrong :) :D)  

[jammyd]

Hi Jock, I'd agree with patricia - Cats don't seem to like the taste of frogs!

Goldfish on the other hand will eat your frogspawn and tadpoles, often sparing none. Maybe a seperate smaller pond for the frogs would be a good idea?

james :)

[Hugh_Jones]

I must confess that, with one pond containing large carp, Orfe and Tench, and another pond with goldfish, I`ve never seen fish eat the frogspawn.  Certainly they will take a percentage of the tadpoles when they first hatch, but there are probably just as many fall prey to Great Diving Beetles, Whirligig Beetles, Water Boatmen, Dragon Fly Larvae and Newts (and one cannot make them stay in separate ponds). Nevertheless, we still have many hundreds which survive and can be seen as tiny frogs making their way to the safety of the nearest flower bed or shrubbery in late summer.

And don`t forget that herons are quite partial to frogs, and if they can`t get at the fish in the middle of the pond they will happily eat the frogs around the edges.

[Chloe]

I am delighted this year, as I now go down to my pond, at the allotment, and lay by the edge watching the tadpoles, they are magic and so many of them.

On the GM subject, I think there is NO other reason for this hideous messing about with nature, than money

[cleo]

Not a single sign of frogs yet :'(-the water is OK though as the newts and insects all seem happy enough. Maybe a strain that has the sense to wait for the last hard frosts has evloved ;D.

Stephan.