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 earlier 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 - whether last year had drought or low winter rainfall in your area can leave 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.
- They try and return to their known mating places every year.
- With the low water level in ditches and natural ponds the frogs will have to travel further to find water than usual.
It could be a bad breeding year in the countryside because of these factors so our garden ponds are 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, sheltered overwintering places for the frogs to hibernate in.
- Ensure 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 get in and out of the pond easily.
- 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 the male is gripped onto her back.
- Good plants for the shallow shelf baskets are those with early leaf growth - Caltha palustris Myosotis scorpioides Veronica beccabunga
- If you don't have enough plants or if your top shelf is too deep put extra baskets of gravel on the shelf to make a raised platform for her.
Frog Spawn survival:
- The more frogspawn laid the better as only around 1 in 50 eggs will survive to adulthood.
- Spawn and tadpoles are vulnerable to - 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 places.
- 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:
As in previous years, we support the Big Spawn Count by Fresh Water Habitats.
We encourage our customers to complete the survey to give them more information to work with.
- Count the number of clumps of spawn in your pond.
- This represents the number of females of spawning age.
- They are trying to monitor both frog and toad spawn.
- Also complete a few other simple questions relating to the size of your pond and your location.
- The more data they get the more they will learn about trends affecting these amphibians.
Amphibians make the return journey to the water dependent on temperature.
- The South of England has been the first to spot this year's frogspawn
- Followed by sheltered areas of the West coast
- While we are still waiting here in Leicestershire (and other northerly inland areas).
We have found an amazing Live Map of records of frog spawn in different areas of the country on Nature's Calendar. Use the slider on the map link to see how far up the country the frogs have spawned over time. You can also see sightings of newts too if you change maps.
- It is reassuring that the frogs are only spawning in the warmer areas of the country.
- Frogs only mate once per season so if they mate too early the spawn could be caught in a frosty snap.
- That clump will die and that female's breeding effort for the year is wasted.
- We have seen newts inside the propagating tunnels where it is warmer but no frogs yet.
- Frogs would normally be ahead of the newts. Maybe these newts have overwintered in the tunnels with us!
To learn more about the lives of the frogs in your pond follow the link to our Tips and Advice page.
For more details on toad spawn and newts returning to mate in your pond - see their pages in Tips and Advice too.
