We have seen frogs and frog spawn in Leicestershire. Have you seen any near you?
If you have spotted Frog Spawn or Toad Spawn this year please complete the Freshwater Habitats Spawn Survey.
Frog spawn is left in clumps in shallow edges of a pond. Toad spawn is left in strings in deeper water or wrapped around early growing pond plants.
We had a very noisy pair of mating frogs earlier this week.
- Make sure you have a range of planted baskets on a shallow shelf for a female to sit on so she does not drown during mating.
- Myosotis scorpioides and Rorippa nasturtium aquaticum make good early rafting stem growth that will support the female.
- One clump of spawn was already in the pond so this female makes only 2 breeding female frogs in our pond so far this year. A huge decrease on other years.
Then we did have more frogs back from overwintering places to mate with us.
- Only around 5 of every 1000 frog eggs laid actually survives to adulthood.
- Spawn and young tadpoles are a food source for other wildlife.
- Less frog spawn this year will mean fewer adults to come back to us in future as frogs tend to return to the pond of their birth.
- To help the frog and toad tadpoles survive you can feed them with Early Stage Tadpole Food first.
- After their back legs have developed you can feed with Late Stage Tadpole Food.
Problems that can affect frogs and spawn survival could be:
- A very cold night. This could cause some of the spawn to be killed & reduce the population of adults returning in future.
- A lack of deep water in one section of the pond that will remain unfrozen in Winter as some males stay in the pond.
- A lack of plants to hide under to protect the tadpoles.
- Grow Myosotis scorpioides, Rorippa nasturtium aquaticum and Aponogeton distachyos for the young tadpoles to hide under.
- A pond surrounded with paving slabs. Slabs are too hot for emerging froglets and make them vulnerable to birds.
- A lack of cool damp places nearby. Ideally create a leafy bog garden.
- Even if you don't have a pond with frogs add a damp bog garden to give shade and shelter to adult frogs in the height of Summer that may have mated in a nearby pond.
- A shortage of wildlife corridors. Leave gaps beneath the fence between yourself and your neighbours.
- Create linked planted habitats in urban hard landscaping.
- This allows all amphibians to make their annual journeys.
- They travel from Winter quarters to breeding waters and then later to Summer shelter.
- Don't move spawn from the wild or buy spawn. This can spread frog diseases and viruses or invasive plants.
- The sale of wild-caught spawn or tadpoles is an offence under The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
- Follow the Froglife campaign #StopSpawnSales.
For more information and a video on frog survival in your pond read our Tips and Advice page.