Frogspawn- it's that time again folks!!!

[Madasafish]

Eventually ours have started laying: 5 blobs of spawn and lots of blowing bubbles....

[Paulottie]

I went to the trouble of putting in a pond at the lottie last spring with some oxygenating plants, edging rocks for steps and no fish. I then put a jar of tadpoles in from a neighbour. Never seen a frog and no spawn in there , that I can see, this year. I was always told they will find water whatever....Bit disappointed.... what's up...do I smell or something?

[si'sraisedbed]

I would love to get some frogs/ toads in my garden but have some concerns.

1) What is the minimum size of pond / tank needed, I don't have a lot of space with a suburban back garden?

2) There are a few cats in the area, do they go after frogs?

3) What other things would I need in the garden to help them? eg. Shade/food etc.

4) Where can I get suitable spawn/frog from?

Thanks in advance, this is a project for Good Friday

[nick nack]

Have 7 blobs of frog spawn in my pond, only 2 last year.

NN

[Madasafish]

si'sraisedbed
1) What is the minimum size of pond / tank needed, I don't have a lot of space with a suburban back garden?


You need about 1.0 metre depth to prevent it heating up in summer but dimensions? 1x1.5 metres would be fine.. or less. There is a stone trough in our local field that has spawn.. about 0.75x0.5metres .. x0.5deep.. but it's shaded from sun in morning and only gets sun late afternoon.
2) There are a few cats in the area, do they go after frogs?
Yes.

3) What other things would I need in the garden to help them? eg. Shade/food etc.
Low vegetation and a few stones and dead logs for shade. Our frogs love strawberry plants late summer...
4) Where can I get suitable spawn/frog from?
Any neighbour?

[si'sraisedbed]

Thanks,
1) I have a space about 60cm x 60cm right next to the raised bed, I could dig this out to 50cm deep or so, against an east facing fence so it would only be in the sun for about half the afternoon before the shade of the house would kick in.

2) Is it worth trying if the cats will get them all anyway?

3) No problem

4) No neighbours with ponds or veg growing either.

Thanks again.

[Madasafish]

Cats will not actively fish for frogs. We had cats and the frogs survived.

If you are desperate, look at nearby marshland.. bound to be spawn there.

Your solution for a pond looks fine. You will need a shallow section for spawn.. or plant some floating thick pondweed which provides a sort of mat: frogs like to lay spawn in shallow water.

[sallym]

Found our first lump of frog spawn this morning. Now worried because of the frost forecast over the week end.

[Madasafish]

Our spawn was frosted last night. And last year. And the year before. and so on. Only the bit in contact with air appears affected. The rest sets tadpoles. We just leave it as it's more food for the survivors. Spawn under water appears unaffected.
(based on 15 years' observation of our pond so far...)

More frost tonight and Thursday and Friday and....

[jaycee]

Frogspawn

I live in Cornwall. Just placed frogspawn into my small pond (courtesy of a neighbour) It very quickly sank to the bottom, although it was floating on the surface of it's home pond. The tadpoles in the jelly were elongated, about 2-3mm long. Do you think they could survive?

[Snadger]

I went to the trouble of putting in a pond at the lottie last spring with some oxygenating plants, edging rocks for steps and no fish. I then put a jar of tadpoles in from a neighbour. Never seen a frog and no spawn in there , that I can see, this year. I was always told they will find water whatever....Bit disappointed.... what's up...do I smell or something?

Think they only return if they start life as frogspawn in the pond? No sign of any in my pond so begged some frogspawn from a neighbour who has loads and hopefully they will hatch into tadpoles, then frogs! Then they will go and feast on all the slugs on my allotment returning next year to breed in my pond...........or that's the theory anyway!

[Headfry]

We have frog spawn in our pond - at last! l
It's a little later than last year.

[Duronal]

I've got LOADS. i was wondering what the neighbourhood cats were watching in the pond......i guess it's either the frogs or the fish.

As long as the frogs/toads eat all the slugs i'll be happy.

[dogsbody]

Still none here though....

....have seen up to 8 frogs in the pond during early evening observations but either they are all offspring of the first year (so will be too young) or males (no comment there).....
stillif Oxford have only just got it there's time yet....

[MrsC]

Noticed some in my pond at home, lots of it!!!