SKETCH OF THE FROGS IN MY LONDON POND

MARCH 6 WAS THE DAY I NOTICED FROGSPAWN IN THE GARDEN POND

I usually make a note each year in my Gardening notebook, when the first spawn appears. This year it was early, due to the warm weather.  Here is my colour crayon sketch of the hopeful frogs.  It is one of my Urban Sketches which I put on the Flickr pages 
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FROGS AND FROGSPAWN IN MARCH, GARDEN POND

The male frogs congregate in numbers in the hope of finding a female.  They pop up their heads watching out, and some of them even sit on the mass of frogspawn.  

OBSERVING THE FROGS

You have to creep up on the pond to be able to draw or sketch them, as they are very vigilant and quickly disappear under the water.


TOADS AS WELL

I was pleased to see two pair of toads in the pond last weekend, 16 March.  It is the first time I have seen toads in my pond.  We see toads in the garden, creeping about, usually hiding under a log or bit of plastic which I have not cleared away, where it is damp.  They move very slowly and I am always so pleased to see them.  They seem much rarer than frogs in London.

TOAD SPAWN

Yes there are some strands of toad spawn in the pond as well.  Some of it has black tiny dots, which I guess are the fertilised eggs, while most of it is white dots, again I am guessing these are eggs which are not fertilised.  

NEWTS

Unfortunately the newts are out in force in the pond as well, and I know they eat the tadpoles, as do my few little stickleback fishes, and herons swoop down and carry off frogs. Its a hard life being a frog!  I am on the side of the toads, but have no intention of hunting for the newts, its just a big battle, 'tooth and claw', as they say.