Hope for the Lappinch

That is it. One lonely clump of frog spawn across all of the six ponds and splashes on our farm.

For the last few weeks I have been keeping an eye out for frog spawn on my morning walks around the farm, hoping to see that most traditional sign of early spring.

Like many, I have childhood memories of garden ponds heaving with coupling frogs followed by masses of frog spawn marking the start of that fascinating journey from tadpoles, to two legged tadpole-frogs and eventually mini-frogs themselves.

With all our ponds, ditches and splashes, I had assumed we would be overrun with frogs and frog spawn but it seems not – one solitary blob, attended by a lonely frog looks like all we are going to get this year.

It is a worry especially as, on the face of it, our habitat seems near perfect. Admittedly, two of our ponds were only dug this winter as part of our newt project, so it is probably too early to expect much from these. Still, I can’t help but feel short changed as compared to what I remember from a small plastic-lined pond in a suburban garden.

My sense is that rather than providing ponds and splashes alone, it is insects that hold the key to success here. With this in mind, we have plans to progressively increase the amount of insect-rich traditional meadows in and around awkward damp corners across the farm and, specifically, close to our two new newt ponds. Hopefully this should make a difference – but we will now have to wait until next spring to find out!