Ponds spring to life in March

16th March 2016 - Whilst the river rushes past, nearby ponds offer calm water, warming up in the sun, with aquatic plants providing shelter and shade where needed for wildlife. Peripheral vegetation, grasses, shrubs, scrub, tree roots and stones have provided shelter for overwintering amphibians which, when conditions are just right, find their way back to the ponds.

Suddenly the water was teeming with life. Different ponds, depending on their location, were showing several different stages of life, all on the same day.

 A small patch of frogspawn was visible in a one pond, then one common frog peered up from the water to look around and was soon joined by several others, males and females.

Common frog (Rana temporaria) - just one of many in the pond

It was a cold day but warm in sheltered areas but the exposed ground was drying out in the wind.

A larger pond close to the river held huge quantities of frog spawn, being in a brighter place, perhaps it was warming up faster this spring, so was a first choice for some frogs.

 A corner of the large pond filled with frog spawn

Frantic movement just under the surface of this pond in a sunny area revealed thousands of tiny tadpoles thrashing around the spawn clumps to make space for themselves and to start feeding on algae…..

Thousands of newly hatched tadpoles on the pond. 

Many will be eaten before they become frogs, and frogs themselves

are predated by several bird species such as Grey Heron - so whilst still in the pond they seek deeper water where they are not so easily seen.

The surviving froglets will move out of the water in early summer and spend the rest of the time away from the pond, hidden in secret damp locations where they feed on flies and other insects, snails, slugs and worms. Eventually they will return to a pond to breed. Given good habitat, they can live for may years, hibernating in winter under old rotting logs and leaves or stones.

It is therefore very important to protect their terrestrial habitat, not just the ponds where they breed and spawn - and in the case of new ponds, provide extensive undisturbed habitat for them on damp land as well.