Surprise, surprise, a day or two ago a young frog was seen hopping into cover in a garden which is entirely enclosed by stone walls and the walls of the house itself. How did it get there? This year there were no visible clumps of frogspawn in the pool. Probably it came in with a lot of compost from the heap or with some plants on the barrow. Where is it now? It hasn't been seen since. This incident came to mind after reading through a longish article, or rather a series of questions and answers in BBC Wild- life magazine for May. Jim Foster is the authority, and tells you much you'd like to know about this creature.
How long do frogs live? He says there is no simple answer, but tells us that the vast majority of eggs laid will never make it to adulthood. Some embryos never hatch. The tadpoles have a host of enemies. They are very tasty. "Frogs that reach six years deserve a medal." Who or what eats frogs? His answer is more of less: who doesn't? At the spawn stage, newts, moorhens, ducks. At the tadpole stage, thrushes, herons, just name it. On land, young frogs and adults can fall prey to foxes, crows, some rodents perhaps, and even dogs who may just kill and leave or .. .
What do frogs eat? Your tadpole feeds mainly on algae, but will also devour tiny pond creatures, and will nibble away at corpses of fish and even of adult frogs. When it emerges from the pond, the adult frog is entirely carnivorous, most common items being slugs, snails, worms, beetles, flies, moths and wood-lice. Do frogs live in ponds all the year round? No. Most of them become land creatures, favouring a moist environment and also spending much time in good shade and long grass away from the sun, lurking under small trees and plants, or rotting logs, which give not only shelter but creepies to feast on at night.
Modern farming techniques work against the frog. Firstly, in that damp places and pools are drained; and secondly, says our expert, frogs must suffer from the use of fertilisers absorbed through the skin. And then possible poisoning from eating slugs that have taken anti-slug pellets. Is, then, the common frog appropriately named? No, he is less common in Britain for reasons given above, and other reasons including increased levels of ultraviolet radiation.