I discovered seven baby frogs living in the drain at the back of our flat. I couldn't let them stay there...
We didn't have a pond when I was growing up. I always wanted one, but blew it after trying to walk on water once at Notcutts. I was hauled out and sent home wearing a bin bag, which put paid to any attempts at having a pond at home until many years later.
My mum finally let me dig her a pond two years ago, and it's teeming with frogs, newts, damsel and dragonflies. But what happens when you fill in a pond? Sadly, I found out a few weeks ago, when I discovered seven baby frogs living in the drain at the back of our flat. I couldn't let them stay there, so filled a large trug with water, placed an upturned plant pot in the centre, added some watercress and stones to let them get in and out easily, and transported the frogs. At first, they were a little disorientated, but then they found their feet and swam around investigating their new home.
Already the frogs have their own routines - at dawn they make their way to the trug and hang out on the upturned flowerpot catching flies, before jumping out at dusk. They're ever so tame - one even popped into the flat to have a look around when I left the back door open.
So how did they get there? I asked my neighbour, who told me they'd had a pond full of tadpoles, but filled it in, fearing their young daughter might do something stupid like try and walk on water. The froglets must have found their way to my drain during the dry spell in spring and got stuck.
Ponds can be incredibly dangerous places for children, but there are alternatives to just getting rid. My mum's neighbours erected a fence around their pond, which is proving a hit with their children, frogs, newts, and even the odd heron. You can also cover the pond with chicken wire or a metal grid that sits just below the surface. Or make a mini-pond using a trug. I doubt you could get up to much in a trug.
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