Frogs

[emmy1978]

Whilst clearing a load of poly from the top of the garden today (previous tenants' mess) I disturbed no fewer than three beautiful froggies. I felt terrible and found them a new place behind our neighbour's shed. I'm going to make a small pond this year for them and hope they stick around.
Any ideas for a frog-friendly pond most gratefully received.  8)

[emmy1978]

[Toadspawn]

I wonder were they toads. Was the skin warty as frogs have a very smooth skin. Frogs always hibernate in the bottom of ponds whereas toads alway hibernate out of water under logs, sheets etc. Toads always have to return to water to spawn.

[grawrc]

I think frogs - mainly the female ones  - also hibernate under dead leaves or in moist soil. They certainly do in my garden!

[Robert_Brenchley]

Frogs like very shallow water for breeding; toads like deeper water.

[emmy1978]

I think they were frogs although I am certainly no authority on the subject! I took pics so I'll post those later.  :)

[Vinlander]

They will love your pond but I've read they won't breed in it - they go back to where they were born.

Your best and most wildlife-friendly bet for getting frogspawn in your pond is to patrol the roads nearby around dusk 'that' time of year and pick up any frogs that are risking their lives by crossing. Leave the ones that have crossed or are on very quiet roads.

If you dump a few of these kidnappees in your pond at least some of them will accept defeat and breed there.

Worked for me in spades

Everybody wins, and I get slug-free hostas in the margins as a bonus.

Cheers.

[macmac]

We built a frogpond several years ago and a friend supplied a mugful of frogspawn.We've had spawn,tadpoles and fabulous froggies ever since ,much to the dismay of the OH who can't bear the little blighters.When we're working in the garden we un earth them allover the place I think they only go in the pond to cool off when it's hot and to get "jiggy" ;D

[ipt8]

It is not true that theyonly go back to where they were born as our pond attracted frogs, toads and newts, they all bred and non of them were born there 8)

[hippydave]

i get them in the house all the time when they leave the pond for the first time even found them behind the tv before. i have to turn my filtration off during the hatching as i have a solids handling pump and it just sucks them up and dumps them in the filter when they are small and when the taddies get bigger it chews them up :'(. i counted 54 mating pairs one evening last year and thats a hell of a lot of spawn and quite a few dead females to fish out of the pond after prising half a dozen randy males off them.