For Immediate Use…………..23 March 2007

Ponds get busy with amorous amphibians

As the weather warms up, and after a particularly wet and mild winter, we are starting to see lots of activity as frogs, toads and newts start to congregate in local ponds, canals and even large puddles to produce spawn for the next generation.  Children and adults alike are always fascinated by frogspawn and tadpoles which are produced in what seems like incredible quantities.  But after predation from birds, fish and even foxes, only a handful of the tadpoles will make it to adulthood. 

Here are some tips to help them on their way:

1.  Make a wildlife pond.  More than 75% of ponds were lost during the last century.  The ideal pond for amphibians should have a deep section (around 1m) for them to hibernate in, and lots of shallow (less than 20cm deep) water for them to spawn in.  Leaflets on Wildlife Gardening are available from the Trust’s Brandon Marsh Nature Centre, near Coventry.

2.  Don’t put fish in your pond.  Goldfish in particular will quickly finish off tadpoles and frogspawn, whilst even tiny sticklebacks are likely to prevent newts from breeding – if you want a healthy population of amphibians, forget about the fish.

3.  Only use native wetland plant species.  There are lots of suitable plants that you can buy at garden centres to help stock your pond.  Particular favourites for breeding amphibians include Water Crowfoot, Water Starwort, Water Forget-me-not and Water Mint.  For lists of specialist suppliers, try Flora Locale’s website at www.floralocale.org – they also have a new leaflet ‘planting near watercourses’.  Avoid non-native species as they are unlikely to be valuable for our wildlife, and in some cases take over ponds completely, leaving them choked up and lifeless.  Particular species to avoid include New Zealand pygmy weed (Crassula helmsii), floating pennywort (Hydrocotyle ranunculoides) and water fern (Azolla filiculoides).  Check the Water for Wildlife website for more details.

4.  Never move spawn, tadpoles or wetland plants between ponds. You may be transferring invasive aquatic plant species, or spreading amphibian diseases such as red leg virus, which can wipe out entire frog populations locally. Make a pond, and generally speaking the watery inhabitants will make their own way to it.

Sophie Leszczynska , Conservation Manager at Warwickshire Wildlife Trust said, “Why not do your bit for your local wildlife and create a wildlife pond in your garden.  It is amazing how quickly it will colonise and you will be able to enjoy seeing tadpoles develop into frogs and dragonflies catching insects over the water in the summer.  For more information pick up a Wildlife Gardening leaflet from our visitor centre at Brandon Marsh near Coventry”.

For further info rmation please contact:

Sophie Leszczynska , Conservation Manager at Warwickshire Wildlife Trust  Tel: 024 7630 8979