My friend's house in Cornwall came with a pond she was told didn't contain any fish. Except it did (and they've bred). Then tons of frogspawn. And things plinking frantically into the water if you approached during daylight. Whenever I stay at her's, we sneak out after dark with a torch for night-time safaris, and are generally thrilled by the amount of life we come across. Particularly on rainy, but relatively windless, nights.
We're almost certain the newts that inhabit her pond—and we've counted up to fourteen in and out the water one night—are palmate newts; they have a stripe down the back, and the day that we netted a few, there were ones with fluffy back feet, like the males are supposed to get when they're breeding. The information we've found on palmate newts suggests they're less likely to colonise a garden pond, but they seem to be merry here. I'd estimate it's 1.5x1m, and couldn't say how deep. I had to think hard about WHY we had the basin, and I think we were trying to clear some of the weed for the sake of the fish (though then went back through the bits we'd raked out and put ones back that looked like they had eggs on.) So she took some photos then, and I've asked (and she's given) her permission to share them. She's pretty nifty with a camera!
We were thrilled to watch a rather podgy female manipulate the weed, and, we presume, lay. (This was about a fortnight ago.) I really don't know enough to say for certain.
I can't find any photos of the toads, unfortunately, but there are an awful lot of them. I understand they lay in deeper water? Last year, my friend was able to take a photo of spawn near the surface.
I reckon the frogs just lay on a tadpole buffet for the newts, toad larvae, and dragonfly/damselfly nymphs. (We've seen cases from emerged ones.)
I've seen lots of similar frogs/toads mating at a privately-owned garden, and newts in pools of about the same depth as my friend's (with lots and lots of weed!) It was entirely too distracting when I was working there as a waitress, and had to flick between the restaurant and beach cafe.
Check out that face!
Pretty pair.
Palmate newts?
I really like the reflection on this one. Soothing colours.
We're almost certain the newts that inhabit her pond—and we've counted up to fourteen in and out the water one night—are palmate newts; they have a stripe down the back, and the day that we netted a few, there were ones with fluffy back feet, like the males are supposed to get when they're breeding. The information we've found on palmate newts suggests they're less likely to colonise a garden pond, but they seem to be merry here. I'd estimate it's 1.5x1m, and couldn't say how deep. I had to think hard about WHY we had the basin, and I think we were trying to clear some of the weed for the sake of the fish (though then went back through the bits we'd raked out and put ones back that looked like they had eggs on.) So she took some photos then, and I've asked (and she's given) her permission to share them. She's pretty nifty with a camera!
We were thrilled to watch a rather podgy female manipulate the weed, and, we presume, lay. (This was about a fortnight ago.) I really don't know enough to say for certain.
I can't find any photos of the toads, unfortunately, but there are an awful lot of them. I understand they lay in deeper water? Last year, my friend was able to take a photo of spawn near the surface.
I reckon the frogs just lay on a tadpole buffet for the newts, toad larvae, and dragonfly/damselfly nymphs. (We've seen cases from emerged ones.)
I've seen lots of similar frogs/toads mating at a privately-owned garden, and newts in pools of about the same depth as my friend's (with lots and lots of weed!) It was entirely too distracting when I was working there as a waitress, and had to flick between the restaurant and beach cafe.
Check out that face!
Pretty pair.
Palmate newts?
I really like the reflection on this one. Soothing colours.