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Mowing the lawn, but not the frogs!

I've got tadpoles in my pond, donated to me by a friend. They are doing great and I can see them swimming and feeding actively in the water. However, my pond is fairly close to my lawn, and now I am worried about what will happen when the tadpoles emerge as frogs, and end up sitting in my lawn which will become a prolem when I come to mow. I set my lawn mower blades to the highest setting al year, which keeps it drought tolerant even in the hottest of summers, but it also means on the most warm of days, my grass is always very slighly damp under foot (lovely to walk on on a hot day), which I guess will be a perfect resting place for a frog. How do I avoid hurting any frogs resting in the law when they emerge?
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  • figratfigrat Posts: 1,619
    Maybe leave a gap- say a foot - at the edge nearest the pond unmown with the lawnmower, and trim that bit by hand if you think it's too unsightly?
  • WelshonionWelshonion Posts: 3,114

    They mainly get on the move on warm, wet nights. Rarely in bright sunshine.

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,139

    Leave an area of long grass near the pond, then before (just before) you mow, get a besom or broom of some kind and 'sweep' the grass towards the long grass - any froglets will head for cover - at least that's what I did when we had this situation and it worked for us. image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • FloBearFloBear Posts: 2,281

    I use a sweeping technique too, with a lawn rake. As my grass is a fair bit longer than the bowling-green type of lawn, I do it every time, even though it's a pain because even medium size frogs can be lurking and having killed two over the years, I really don't want to do it again.

  • maggzymaggzy Posts: 8

    I have an old container that I put in my yard about 2 years ago for the birds to bath in and they love it, we get frogs and newts in the garden and the yard so I put some old rocks in the container and around it in the hope that it would attract them. I now have a frog that has taken up residence over these past four days image Can anyone tell me whether they think it will spawn or not and is there any thing I could do to encourage it to stay! Thanks.

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,384

    I have a few toads which are great (they eat slugs!), but they don't half make me jump when they leap out from beneath a shady plant when I'm planting or weeding nearby!

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • Gary HobsonGary Hobson Posts: 1,892
    maggzy wrote (see)

    ...I now have a frog that has taken up residence over these past four days  Can anyone tell me whether they think it will spawn or not...

    Frogs spawn in March. They won't spawn at this time of year. Also it requires at least two frogs to spawn. But as long as you have some cool damp places for it to hide, it may stay around and perhaps next Spring....

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,139

    Frogs like to hang around in the water on these hot days to cool down image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Karen GreenKaren Green Posts: 11

    We had frogs in our lawn when the grass was long - then we bought a lawn mower. mowing through frogs is the most awful experience. I just had to stop doing it, and now leave my husband to mow the lawn!, but - I always rake before him and catch what frogs we find in a pot. I keep them in the pot till the mower is put away, then release them in longer grass. BUT most importantly - we now only mow the tiniest bit of lawn and leave the rest for the frogs and butterflies, it doesn't look untidy when you mow an edge to it. Our frog population is just beginning to recover, but only just, and it still makes me sad the damage that we did in order to conform with the idea of a lawn

     

  • BookertooBookertoo Posts: 1,306

    I do not have a pond but both our neighbours do and we get lots of little frgs - which is great.  However, on the lines of what Bobthe Gardener said, it is a very disconcerting feeling when you pick up a handful of dead leves and it leas out of your hand!!

    BobTheGardener wrote (see)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #465584; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;">I have a few toads which are great (they eat slugs!), but they don't half make me jump when they leap out from beneath a shady plant when I'm planting or weeding nearby!


      That did give me a shock the first few times, I try and look a bit closer these days!

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