[Trillium]

The 2 last nights here have had frost warnings. We did get quite a heavy (freak) frost two nights ago and a possible for last night so I left on all my fleece blankets just in case. Today I started taking them off as the weather is now back to the high teens and as I pulled off the barlotti beans cover, I was surprised to find a toad happily resting under the cover. Hopefully he was doing a bug buffet. Once the cover came off, he hopped away. I must make some little shelters to encourage more toads in the garden.

[gobs]

Oh how nice, I'm envying you, Trill. What I found , weeding was a dead frog. ,

[lincspoacher]

theres been almost no frog spawn this year and it was pretty poor last year. If its poor next year as well then the frogs are in trouble

[FCG]

Sorry for such a novice question, but are toads good for slugs? I found two smallish toads in my garden today under some rocks.. they seem to like it here!

[richyrich7]

theres been almost no frog spawn this year and it was pretty poor last year. If its poor next year as well then the frogs are in trouble

Perhaps it's location Lincs ? my mums pond has been full of the stuff, but she did say a lot just seemed dead  

[fletch]

This is the third year in a row I've had spawn, but either no tadpoles, or tadpoles but then no froglets.  

[woodburner]

Sorry for such a novice question, but are toads good for slugs? I found two smallish toads in my garden today under some rocks.. they seem to like it here!

Yes, they eat slugs.

Mum found a little one in and earthenware pot the other day, nowhere near the veg plot though  

[peapod]

im with the no spawn/no tads/now no froglets brigade

I thought my expensive lovely pond would be a 5 * moment in my built up area
huh..only taddies ive got left are what 7yo got me from canal!

* em all :-( veggies worries only :-)

[blue_cortina]

Intersting reading this thread.... I've been wondering if I should have a small pond in the garden or allotment to encourage frogs - but wasn't sure if they eat slugs or not - Now it's a must. I even wonder if just a nano pond (sawn off bucket with some nice rock shelter around it would be enough for a couple of frogs to take refuge and attack some sl**s...

[iwantanallotment]

Frogs are scarce here too this year, which is unusual because there's plenty of water around and normally masses of them.
Two nights ago I saw my first one this year, and he was injured - his tongue was stuck out and swollen, about the size of my thumb, with a sort of clear bubble/balloon around it. Inside the balloon was a drop of blood.
I popped the bubble, hoping that might help his tongue to shrink, but it made no difference and he died soon after in the 'nest' I made him :cry:
Does anyone know what could've happened to him?
Could he have tangled with a bee/wasp maybe?
I've never seen anything like it before, and no amount of Googling threw up any hints.

[ladyloulee]

I have 4 small ponds and had 3 of them with frogspawn in, one is teaming with tadpoles another has just a few but the third hasnt any... im wondering if the newts ate the ones in the 3rd pond or something else was wrong?
lou x

[Aidy]

Does anyone know what could've happened to him?

Probably gave it septicaemia. Did you sterilize the needle first   Seriously, from I can find it may of eaten a beetle that secreted a toxic compound called cantharidin and this may cause blistering of certain parts.

[iwantanallotment]

Thanks for that, Aidy. Nasty way to go though, poor thing