A RELATIVELY mild, and somewhat soggy, February encouraged many frogs to begin spawning a little earlier than usual.

Reports came in of herons causing their usual depredations, scooping up beaks full of jelly. Indeed, frogspawn is eaten by a wide range of predators. Newts nose into the jelly and extract the forming tadpoles and sticklebacks do the same. Ducks are also partial to the spawn. Then, when tadpoles hatch, they are extremely vulnerable, being almost immobile, so are targeted by dragonfly larvae, fish, aquatic beetles and water boatmen.

Nature Notes: a close call for grebes

Fortunately, each single spawning produces thousands of eggs which is just as well considering their vulnerability but it is estimated that it only takes one pair of frogs from each spawning to survive to adulthood three or four years later to maintain the population level.

Meanwhile, toads spawn a little later and instead of laying masses of spawn, they lay a double row in continuous strands of jelly up to three metres long, entwined around stems of water plants.

Nature Notes: Creatures of habit

Toad tadpoles skin is distasteful to fish but eaten by water insects. Tiny toadlets leave the water and disperse widely into surrounding countryside and don't return to breed until mature at two or three years of age.