All about amphibians

Val looks at the lives of our declining frogs and toads

- Val Bourne

I HAVEN’T got a pond at Spring Cottage, unfortunately, but my two previous gardens did have ponds. It was always a delight to spot the first globular balls of frog spawn.

Common frog spawn can appear between December and April, depending on weather and local conditions, but I usually saw it in mid February. A female common frog may lay up to 4,000 eggs in a season and the eggs are fertilised by the male as they are produced. Each small black egg is surrounded by a clear jelly capsule around ⅓in (1cm) across. The tadpoles are black when they hatch, but develop light-bronze speckles as they mature. Very few mature into adults.

The repetitive night-time croaking from the male common frogs attracts the females. Once a mate is found, the smaller male clings to the back of the female using his ‘nuptial’ pads on his front feet. These pads help him to grip onto the larger female. It’s known by the Latin name of amplexus, which translates as embrace, and it can last for days.