Frog central

I don't know where they disappeared to after they came to spawn in Pondy but the frogs are now back and have brought several friends!

This little patch of creeping jenny supports six although only three can be seen here. As soon as the sun comes out they stick their little heads out and soak up the rays.

These two seemed quite content as I walked up and down the garden and weren't bothered by me at all.

This adorable gentleman is quite happy to hang about in the blanket weed. Normally I'd have the blanket weed out by now but the baby newts (I call them newtpoles) are living in it and I don't want to disturb them).

Aren't the colours on this next frog just gorgeous. I love his markings and could watch him all day.

Altogether at one time I've counted ten froggy heads sticking out of the water and there are at least three in the older pond too. Sadly, most of the tadpoles ended up as newt food but the upside of that is that the newts have produced and I can watch them grow instead.

Later on this year I intend to take out the old pond and completely rebuild it, then hopefully next year I can transfer all the frogspawn into that one and the newts can have the bigger pond.

In the meantime however I plan to send the summer watching my very beautiful frogs.

With temperatures reaching 22 degrees C (whatever that is - I still think in F's) it has been a truly glorious weekend. Apart from disappearing during the hottest part of the day when the sun was directly overhead, the newts have had a fine old time, swimming happily in and out of the algae around the mare's tail.

Normally I would have removed the algae but it does no harm and at this stage the tadpoles are also using it for food. If you look you can see some of them enjoying a yummy algae treat.

This is a female palmate newt, slightly lighter in colour than her mate. The male's back feet are also a sooty black colour, whereas her's are the same as her body.

It was also lovely to see this stately gentleman sunning himself in the old pond. With the new des res not far away, it's always good to see that the old pond has not been abandoned.


The tadpoles are also becoming more adventurous and are starting to swim around. They are mostly tail with little black heads at the front and are less than a centimetre long. To them the pond must seem like an ocean.