I seem to have lost all my frogs ( as in none have come to the pool this
year). Three years ago I had a colony of at least 30. Then I lost a whole
load of spawn eaten by bloody dragon fly larvae which I had not realized
were there. I know some people like dragon flies but I prefer frogs. So I
cleared the pond but the following year it was a hard winter and again I
lost frogs and spawn . This year, nothing.

I know I have a frog ( or two) around the garden . Last saw one a few weeks
ago by my greenhouse. But nothing in the pond. I also checked the pond and I
don't even seem to have any newts. I had a few of those to.

Is this the end then? Is there anything I can do to get frogs to come?

On 27/02/11 07:37, sweetheart wrote:
I seem to have lost all my frogs ( as in none have come to the pool this
year). Three years ago I had a colony of at least 30. Then I lost a
whole load of spawn eaten by bloody dragon fly larvae which I had not
realized were there. I know some people like dragon flies but I prefer
frogs. So I cleared the pond but the following year it was a hard
winter and again I lost frogs and spawn . This year, nothing.

I know I have a frog ( or two) around the garden . Last saw one a few
weeks ago by my greenhouse. But nothing in the pond. I also checked the
pond and I don't even seem to have any newts. I had a few of those to.

Is this the end then? Is there anything I can do to get frogs to come?



They'll be back when they want to. So will the dragonflies, damselflies,
leeches (yes), and any other pondlife you care to think of.

Hugh

--

Hugh Newbury

www.evershot-weather.org

hi, have you got a net over the pond, because herons can clear out your frog and fish population very quickly.also other wildlife may get access to your pond if you dont have a net..this time of year you should have frogs spawn in your pond too.toads and frogs will be hideing under rocks etc this time of year also, so if you have any little hideaways in your gardenmm go have a look,,, good luck,, spinksy

Whereabouts are you?

I'm in Yorkshire. I think we have lost all of our frogs which overwintered in the pond, and the ones which overwintered elsewhere are only now arriving - last week we had two, this week we're up to 19.

If you haven't already, try looking at night, using a powerful torch with a beam that will penetrate through the water. You may have some frogs which aren't yet making themselves obvious on the surface in the day time.

It's early for newts to be mating, although we already have those, and, for the first time, more newts than frogs. You know of course that newts eat frog spawn?

On Sun, 27 Feb 2011 07:37:00 -0000, "sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote:

I seem to have lost all my frogs ( as in none have come to the pool this
year). Three years ago I had a colony of at least 30. Then I lost a whole
load of spawn eaten by bloody dragon fly larvae which I had not realized
were there. I know some people like dragon flies but I prefer frogs. So I
cleared the pond but the following year it was a hard winter and again I
lost frogs and spawn . This year, nothing.

I know I have a frog ( or two) around the garden . Last saw one a few weeks
ago by my greenhouse. But nothing in the pond. I also checked the pond and I
don't even seem to have any newts. I had a few of those to.

Is this the end then? Is there anything I can do to get frogs to come?

Just relax. It'll happen. In clearing the pond (sounds like you did it
entirely) you've essentially g one back to scratch and it'll take a
while before it gets colonised again.

My pond's gone the other way - I thought there was too much frog spawn
(a pond can only sustain so many frogs in my view). The local
population had to adapt to some logistical changes this year. I'd
cleared the planting area where they usually lay as it needed
revamping and won't replant until later in the year. So they've moved
to another area and laid abundantly there. Trouble is that because of
very low overhanging branches, some actually in the water, magpies
have discovered that they can perch and peck and have been decimating
the spawn they can reach. So I think about a quarter of the orignal
spawn remains viable and the pond can support that if it all hatches.
So hopefully all will be well.

Jake

On Feb 27, 7:37*am, "sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote:
I seem to have lost all my frogs ( as in none have come to the pool this
year). Three years ago I had a colony of at least 30. * Then I lost a whole
load of spawn eaten by bloody dragon fly larvae *which I had not realized
were there. I know some people like dragon flies but I prefer frogs. So I
cleared the pond *but the following year it was a hard winter and again I
lost frogs and spawn . This year, nothing.

I know I have a frog ( or two) around the garden . Last saw one a few weeks
ago by my greenhouse. But nothing in the pond. I also checked the pond and I
don't even seem to have any newts. I had a few of those to.

Is this the end then? *Is there anything I can do to get *frogs to come?

I think the spawn is late this year. Bad idea cleanig our too much in
a wildlife pond. Do it a bit at a time. Dragon flies BTW are
attracted by open water, they apparently can see it from miles away.
Ego weeds that cover the pond surface might be good for you and
somewhere for frogs to hide. Water lily?

"harry" wrote in message
...
On Feb 27, 7:37 am, "sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote:

Is this the end then? Is there anything I can do to get frogs to come?

I think the spawn is late this year. Bad idea cleanig our too much in
a wildlife pond. Do it a bit at a time. Dragon flies BTW are
attracted by open water, they apparently can see it from miles away.
Ego weeds that cover the pond surface might be good for you and
somewhere for frogs to hide. Water lily?

I have water lilies in the pond. I didn't clear it completely. I hauled out
a massive expanse of Iris which was sheltering all those dragon fly larvae.
They came out with it.

But I lost my frogs. Three years ago they arrived early and we had a big
freeze and the spawn didn't survive. Then the following year the larvae got
all the taddies as they hatched and I ended up with no new froglets. Last
year I had just a couple of frogs in the pond but had hoped that was enough
to keep going.

But it seems winter may have put paid to my adult population too since no
one has come this year. They used to arrive around the 14th February. The
pond is there. The weather is with us. I have kept the grass long and they
have cover on the one side and a shallow edge to climb in and out as
required ..... but no frogs.

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2011-02-27 07:37:00 +0000, "sweetheart" hotmail.com said:

I really think you're trying to over-manage your pond. Leave it alone and
it will balance itself out. How can you kill off one species because you
prefer another? It's a strange approach, imo.
--

Very easily when I saw my tadpoles being killed one by one by the larvae.

I haven't managed the pond. All I have done is clear out some Iris which had
overgrown and had filled it to the point of there being no pond left ( three
years ago). My frogs came the year after that fine. Then they all
disappeared mysteriously. Thats why I am asking.

My point, which seems to be missed here is, I have lost my frogs and cant
figure out how they have all died. It must be the weather I guess. My
mother lost a load of hers too but at least hers she found dead on top of
her pond , so she knows . Mine just haven't come this year.

"sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote in message
...

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2011-02-27 07:37:00 +0000, "sweetheart" hotmail.com said:

I really think you're trying to over-manage your pond. Leave it alone
and it will balance itself out. How can you kill off one species because
you prefer another? It's a strange approach, imo.
--

Well my husband would like me to get rid of the pond altogether. Now that
would be over management wouldn't it? I am fighting to save it. Without
frogs and newts my husband reckons its nothing more than an eyesore which
attracts flies and nothing more. he wants to cut it all down, the grass,
the trees , everything. Since its close to the house, that's an important
factor. But I like the pond.

On Feb 28, 8:48*am, "sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote:
"sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote in message

...



"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2011-02-27 07:37:00 +0000, "sweetheart" hotmail.com said:

I really think you're trying to over-manage your pond. *Leave it alone
and it will balance itself out. *How can you kill off one species because
you prefer another? *It's a strange approach, imo.
--

Well my husband would like me to get rid of the pond altogether. Now that
would be over management wouldn't it? *I am fighting to save it. Without
frogs and newts my husband reckons its nothing more than an eyesore which
attracts flies and nothing more. *he wants to cut it all down, the grass,
the trees , everything. Since its close to the house, that's an important
factor. *But I like the pond.

All widlife needs somewhere to lurk. ie Hide from predators. The
predators never get them all or the predators would all die out. They
just nab the weakest. Darwin.

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2011-02-28 08:43:38 +0000, "sweetheart" hotmail.com said:


"Sacha" wrote in message
...
The advice usually given here when it comes to
people clearing ponds of unwanted plants, is to take the plants or weed
out but leave it on the side of the pond so that the creatures living
therein can find their way back into the water, which most/many will do.
There's also a disease that frogs get which has reduced their numbers
considerably.
--

You seem dead keen to make this my fault for some reason ( what have I donte
to you?) I did everything that you say here and I followed the
instructions given here after asking before I cleared the pond of the Iris.
I replanted with some pond lily and other types of plant and put back most
of what was in there bar the lily.

The frogs were not deseased. Yes I know about red leg. My best guess is the
freezes over the last two years saw them off. I just wondered what my
chances of getting a new lot to come in was - but obviously none.

I know ( from reading around) frogs are delicate creatures. I don't know how
long it is before they come to adulthood and spawning. I have a female as
she came to the pond last year but I suspect all my males have died as her
spawn didn't get fertilized last year. This year even she hasn't arrived.

I know there are a couple of frogs in the garden but they haven't come to
the pond.

You need to remember this is a garden pond, not a great expanse of water
like you may have living as you do on a nursery. I only have an acre for a
garden so my pond space is limited.

I don't want to argue. I am just so sad they haven't come. They meant a lot
to me each year.

"sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote in message
...

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2011-02-28 08:43:38 +0000, "sweetheart" hotmail.com said:


"Sacha" wrote in message
...

I admit I was negligent in letting the dragon flies - I counted at least 100
when I cleared them out - get the lot the other year. I was too late and I
guess that has dessimated the population of frogs. Its dragon flies that
eat tadpoles, not the other way around.

I may just get rid of the pond. At least that way I don't have to see it
any more and remember how I let the babies I was given trust of die.
Thanks.

"Janet" wrote in message
...
In article , "sweetheart"
says...

I know there are a couple of frogs in the garden but they haven't come
to
the pond.

Unless you're conducting 24 hour surveillance on both, you don't know
if they are the same two frogs each time or whether they ever go to the
pond. Why not get them tagged with a GPS tracker?

I take it that is meant sarcastically? OK, I'll get it or them tagged! The
fact is

a) there are no frogs in the pond. I have looked
b) there is no spawn in the pond
c) normal activity at this time of year would give me sight of frogs in the
pond ( the pond is outside the sitting room window so I do have a good view
much of the day
d) I know of a frog ( or more) in the greenhouse down the bottom of the
garden around 300 yards away from the pond. I have disturbed him/ her/ them
(if more than one) two or three times clearing things up there. Done this
several times in the last few weeks.
e) I know of a second frog in the waste land at the bottom of the garden -
maybe the same frog. I would like to hope there are two. They do appear to
be different sizes.

So all in all I am well placed to say my frogs are not in the pond. Maybe
not 24 hour surveillance but close. The sad fact is I have lost my frogs
and its because I didn't take care of them. I didn't get rid of the
predators when I saw them in the first instance. I hope others will take
more care.

As I also said, I don't seem to have any newts either and I had a colony of
those too. All taken by 3 2 long giant larvae ( dragon fly). No dragon fly
larvae now though either. I saw to them and I have no qualms about that.

If conditions are suitable, they will almost certainly find there way there. But maybe not in time to spawn this year.
If you've still got a couple in the garden, it won't be long before you have them back in the pond.

Getting on for five years

On Mon, 28 Feb 2011 14:57:51 -0000, "sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote:


"Janet" wrote in message
...
In article , "sweetheart"
says...

I know there are a couple of frogs in the garden but they haven't come
to
the pond.

Unless you're conducting 24 hour surveillance on both, you don't know
if they are the same two frogs each time or whether they ever go to the
pond. Why not get them tagged with a GPS tracker?

I take it that is meant sarcastically? OK, I'll get it or them tagged! The
fact is

a) there are no frogs in the pond. I have looked
b) there is no spawn in the pond
c) normal activity at this time of year would give me sight of frogs in the
pond ( the pond is outside the sitting room window so I do have a good view
much of the day
d) I know of a frog ( or more) in the greenhouse down the bottom of the
garden around 300 yards away from the pond. I have disturbed him/ her/ them
(if more than one) two or three times clearing things up there. Done this
several times in the last few weeks.
e) I know of a second frog in the waste land at the bottom of the garden -
maybe the same frog. I would like to hope there are two. They do appear to
be different sizes.

So all in all I am well placed to say my frogs are not in the pond. Maybe
not 24 hour surveillance but close. The sad fact is I have lost my frogs
and its because I didn't take care of them. I didn't get rid of the
predators when I saw them in the first instance. I hope others will take
more care.

As I also said, I don't seem to have any newts either and I had a colony of
those too. All taken by 3 2 long giant larvae ( dragon fly). No dragon fly
larvae now though either. I saw to them and I have no qualms about that.

I think you're being too hard on yourself. You created a pond.
Wildlife colonised the pond. Then you decided that wildlife had got
out of balance and corrected it. That was probably the only mistake
you made.

Nature is, at the end of the day, far "stronger" than any of us. We
only tweak her at the edges and congratulate ourselves on a tidy
garden and productive veg patch. But if we stop that tweaking, nature
takes over again very quickly.

Of the thousands of eggs that frogs lay, only a minute proportion will
reach adulthood. Tadpoles eat weaker tadpoles and unhatched eggs. In
my pond, magpies have been going at the spawn this year and I noticed
starlings having a go earlier today. I've had dragon fly larvae in the
pond year by year. I didn't put them there, nature did. Why do you
think frogs lay so many eggs? Because nature dictates they do, so that
enough live to maturity and the rest provide the food source for
others. Who said nature isn't cruel?

So whether you have frogs in your pond or not, dragon fly larvae or
not, newts or not, you can congratulate yourself on providing a little
space in your garden for nature to utilise as she sees fit from year
to year.

Just take it as it comes. If conditions are right, frogs and
everything else will be back. Whatever the "everything else" is in
your pond, let it be and enjoy it. That's what nature is all about.

Cheers
Jake