Frogspawn

We have been given a bucket of Frogspawn for our pond..... has anyone else got any yet????

 

Yep, quite a lot in the last couple of days

 

You guys down south get your frogs spawn a month before us in East Anglia, it was April 2nd
last year......but who knows this year....they are mating heavily though...

 

You are all way ahead of us! We built our big pond in 1988 and the first frogs spawned there on 18.03.90. Last year it was on the 11th and 12th April. I have kept a record every year and it is interesting to compare the different dates, some early and others late in the spawing season. The earliest we had was the 14th March 2002, in this year we had more spawn on the 19th and the 22nd March too. The latest was in 2003 on the 14th April. In 1997, 1998 and 1999 they spawned on the 2nd April.

I wonder if anyone else has kept a note of it?

We have several different types of frogs and toads, most of which only come to spawn and then take off for parts unknown after about 5-7 days. A few live in our pond all year round.

 

No spawn yet, but a relative in York told me he had some last week so it's not just 'down south'.

 

The first frogs of the year arrived in our pond yesterday! That is really pretty early for us here. There were five yesterday and today - (record is 25 - is not a huge pond), but no spawn ... yet!

 

I dont think the frogs arrive in the ponds in the spring, I might be wrong but I think they overwinter on the bottom, I know they do in mine.
Then when the spring arrives they come to the surface to breed.
What actually triggers them to surface, I dont know, I have had spawn earlier than this and also later, last year was the latest I can remember, think it was mid March and even then it got frosted.

 

Aye, I have heard this before (and dug my pond deep for this purpose) but remain unconvinced! I know they pretty much disappear after spawning - but doubt they dive into the depths then. There isn't a mass exodus in the autumn either - where do they go?

 

Well, over here they wander off to parts unknown until the spawning season next year. You read about it all the time. I can't imagine the theory that you put up pete - overwintering on the bottom, surfacing to breed in the spring, and then where do they go? There are some frogs that overwinter in the pond, true, but the majority of them return to the pond of their own spawning to mate and spawn. Then off they go until the next year, no one really knows where to. It's like salmon I think.

 

Think about it, if you lived in water and it was a cold frosty winter,... the only safe place is deep water.
They leave in late spring and can be found all over the place, presumably feeding at night and in damp weather but returning to the pond in hot dry weather.
Thats what I find anyway.
Toads are a bit different.

 

Some frogs do hibernate at the bottom of the pond in winter they have the ability to absorb oxygen through their skin, the majority however hibernate on land under logs stones etc they usually return to the pond they were spawned in. As soon as the temperature is right in spring they will commence their breeding cycle usually popping out on a rainy night, the spawn is vulnerable to frosts so its worth putting a bucket full in the shed if frost is predicted.Frogs will usually stick around the pond in summer and will actully sunbathe at the edge of the pond .Toads only return to the pond they were born in to breed the rest of the time they spend in dark damp places doing a wonderful job devouring garden pests the homing instict in toads is very strong and they will negotiate any obstical to return to their breeding ground

 

.... HELP!!!!!


am I doing the right thing here??????

As you know I have a bucket of donated spawn in the greenhouse..... this is mainly because with the pond being new in the Autumn, there are no covering plants yet.... The spawn in the greenhouse is growing quickly - already commas from full stops. According to the "blurb" on the net, they will hatch after 4-ish weeks, depending on temperature. I was taking some blanket weed out the pond on Saturday, and was SHOCKED at how icy the water was. Is this going to kill the taddies when I put them in the pond??? I don't have enough buckets for the taddies - they have got to go in the ponds!!!! :confused: :confused:

 

I'd gladly help out but our pond is so far away from you. Ours is certainly warm enough, so guess our frogs will soon be turning up. Have you checked on the net about water temperature?

 

HB, as long as the water isn't in its solid state ie. frozen they will be OK.
If there's not much weed cover in the pond it might be as well to leave some of the blanket weed.