Our response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Situation More details

Foxglove Covert Local Nature Reserve
MENU

Frogs!

Wednesday, March 11th 2020

The frogs are back! 

One of the signs of spring is the sound of male Common Frogs croaking in the ponds.  They are calling the females.  This is soon followed by seeing one, then two, then many more swimming around in a relatively small area.  We spotted these ones in the Bogbean pond in the Scrapes.  

There is plenty of frogspawn in some of the ponds.  Temperature plays an important role in the timing of the hatching of the spawn.  Low temperatures mean it can take many days before hatching, whilst warmer conditions see the tadpoles develop more quickly.  If you want a closer look at spawn then there is a tank set up in the Activity Room.

When the frogs first return they are quite shy, disappearing underwater and staying there, but after a few days they become more used to people walking by and although they do dive back underwater they soon emerge again.  We tried to count them in one pond and got numbers ranging from 18 to 20 and the last count reached 30!  This year has seen much more activity than last year when sightings of frogs and spawn were low.

The frogs can be photogenic. 

You can see the smooth skin and the reflection shows their eyes.

These two look like they are smiling!

(0) Comments:

There are no comments for this blog post yet. Why not start the discussion? - use the form below:

Commenting is not available in this channel entry.

Back to Top

Help Support Foxglove

Friends of Foxglove

The Friends of Foxglove Covert is for those individuals, families and organisations who would like to support the reserve through an annual membership subscription. Friends receive a regular newsletter and invitations to attend our various activities and social events.

More Details

Upcoming Events

Minibeast Safari 2

Wednesday 12th August 2020 | Various time slots available

Come along and find out which minibeasts are living in some of the habitats at Foxglove. Book a minibeast session for your family bubble of up to six people. There will be a socially distanced brief to set you off and then you can use the equipment for the remainder of the session. You will be requested to use hand gel on arrival and the equipment will be cleaned between sessions. Please call the Reserve Managers on 07754 270980 to book your allocated slot. You are advised to arrive 15 minutes before your allocated time. A donation in advance (card payment by phone) of £5 per family bubble is required in order to secure your booking. 


Family Pond Dipping 3

Wednesday 19th August 2020 | 45 minute sessions on the hour

Come along and find out which animals are living in some of the Foxglove ponds. Book a pond dipping session for your family bubble of up to six people. There will be a socially distanced brief to set you off and then you can use the equipment for the remainder of the session. You will be requested to use hand gel on arrival and the net handles will be cleaned between sessions. Please call the Reserve Managers on 07754 270980 to book your allocated slot. You are advised to arrive 15 minutes before your allocated time. A donation in advance (card payment by phone) of £5 per family bubble is required in order to secure your booking.  There will be a socially distanced brief to set you off and then you can use the equipment for the remainder of the session. You will be requested to use hand gel on arrival and the net handles will be cleaned between sessions. Please call the Reserve Managers on 07754 270980 to book your allocated slot. You are advised to arrive 15 minutes before your allocated time. A donation in advance (card payment by phone) of £5 per family bubble is required in order to secure your booking. 


VIEW ALL EVENTS

Undergrowth Newsletter

The Dragonflies of Strensall and Foxglove Covert
{alt}

This book has been published with the aim of enabling people visiting these, immensely important Flagship Pond Sites in North Yorkshire, to identify the dragonflies and damselflies they encounter - by reference to a simple text and photographs. Credits - Yorkshire Dragonfly Group & Freshwater Habitats Trust

Read this Issue

View All The Newsletters

Recent Blog Posts

Blog Archive