We have not seen any signs of frogs returning to our ponds yet here in Leicestershire, but there have been many other sightings of frog spawn in South West and central England. Our local frogs may have been delayed by the cold weather here this month.
Factors that influence frogs returning to their breeding ponds:
- The timing of the frog's return is all dependent on the outside temperature and their survival through Winter.
- Condition of breeding sites in the countryside - last year’s drought and relatively low winter rainfall has left many of their favourite ditches and ponds less than half full.
- They need these as resting places in their journey as well as spawning sites.
- With the low water level in ditches and natural ponds the frogs will have to travel further to find water than they have before.
It could be a bad breeding year in the countryside because of these factors so our garden ponds are becoming increasingly needed as alternative wet habitats for frog breeding areas.
Encourage frogs by:
- Adding water to your garden - in both country and urban areas.
- Providing plenty of safe and sheltered overwintering places for the frogs to hibernate in.
- Ensuring that your pond is part shaded and filled with appropriate pond plants to create the best breeding areas.
- Making the area around the pond a well-planted habitat for protection as frogs journey to the water.
- Building the pond with shallow edges to allow frogs to easily get in and out of the pond.
- A shallow shelf is recommended so the female has a firm base to rest on during mating.
- The shallow shelf should contain baskets of plants for the Female to rest on while she has the male gripped onto her back.
- Good plants for the shallow shelf baskets are those with early leaf growth - Caltha palustris Myosotis scorpioides Veronica beccabunga
Frog Spawn survival:
- The more frogspawn laid the better as only around one in 50 eggs will survive to adulthood.
- Spawn and tadpoles are vulnerable to many things - frost and ice, newts and other wildlife swimming in the pond, birds visiting the water area.
- Cover the shallow shelf area with plant growth to create hiding spaces.
- Don’t move spawn or tadpoles into a different pond. This new pond may not have the right conditions for them to survive.
- This also risks spreading disease between ponds.
- Feed young frog tadpoles with vegetable-based Early Stage Tadpole Food.
- Have a supply of high protein Late Stage Tadpole Food ready for the older tadpoles when they have gained their back legs.
Seeing your first frogspawn is a sure sign of the arrival of Spring in your area.
For more details on frog spawn and their lifecycle for the rest of the year - see our Tips and Advice page: How to help frogs spawn and survive in your pond.
