In article , dave @ stejonda
writes
For the last few mornings we''ve been waking up to the sad sight of
numerous desiccated froglets on the paving around our (1st year) pond. I
assumed that these were just the ones too dumb to get back to the water
before drying out but yesterday my son noticed one whose feet appeared
to have stuck to the paving. It was struggling to get free and (good lad
that he is) he gently peeled it off and put in the water. We've now
spread out plastic bags on the paving around the slopes where the
froglets are emerging but still found a couple which had strayed further
and stuck.

Is this just natural selection which we should leave be? Do others find
these each year?

If you want to encourage frogs in your pond, it is sensible to have some
vegetation close to one part of it so frogs can emerge and head straight
into that. If you have paving slabs all the way around for more than a
few inches width, it's inevitable that in how weather some of the
froglets aren't going to make it.

What they're doing atm is trying to get out of the water and into
undergrowth where they can forage - they are entering the terrestrial
phase of their life. So even if they are overheating, they are going to
feel quite a strong urge to go forward rather than back to the water
they are trying to get away from.

If you can't manage permanent vegetation, I wonder whether ir would be
worth a temporary 'bridge' of a few potted plants and something to give
shade?
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm