Gallery One - Frogs
Every Spring our garden ponds fill up with mating frogs.
Lesley spends many happy hours leaning precariously over the surface,
photographing the inhabitants. These are the 2005 pictures.

Click picture for close up view

Image 1 Common Frog (Rana temporaria) Emerging from hibernation in late February, spawning usually takes place in early March although occasionally the frogs will emerge sooner and spawn as early as January.

Image 2 Two's company The females are ready to spawn immediately after hibernation and the animals enter into amplexus very soon after arriving at their breeding ponds. Competition for the female frogs is fierce.

Image 3 Just friends Despite large numbers of frogs in the pond the amount of spawn is quite small compared to previous years.

Image 4 Cat alert Some of our cats take a great interest in the ponds at this time of year. Lucy was spotted tapping the surface in the hope of catching one of the residents.

Image 5 Camoflage The pond weed is a nuisance. When the frogs surface they often have to duck under water again to remove the weed from their eyes.

Image 6 Frog's eye close-up It's just possible to see our house reflected in this close-up