Create a Toad Abode this Autumn by Morwenna Alldis
With winter just around the corner, our UK frogs and toads will be readying themselves for hibernation. The drop in temperature in our garden ponds and local waterways is very dangerous for our amphibian friends and so all UK species hibernate throughout the approaching colder months.
Some frogs and newts will swim to the bottom of their pond dwelling and bury themselves in the mud at the bottom. Whilst the temperature of the pond drops and the surface may even freeze, the bottom of the pond remains warmer. These frogs and newts will absorb oxygen through their skin.
Other amphibians leave their aquatic homes and over-winter on land. They seek out underground tunnels, log piles, leaf litter, perhaps your compost heap or even under your shed or decking, to hunker down in. During hibernation an amphibian’s bodily functions slow down to the absolute minimum to survive, allowing them conserve their energy, in fact, their bodies actual freeze.
Photo 1: Common toad. Ben Hall (rspb-images.com)
You can really help your local frogs and toads by providing them with a cosy home for the winter and fear not, it doesn’t need to be as extravagant as Toad Hall.
You’ll need:• Spade• Old bricks or large stones• Logs• Twigs or cut-off branches• Wildflower seed (optional)
Photo 2: Giving nature a home. David Tipling (rspb-images.com)
How To:1. Choose a shady spot, it doesn’t need to be next to a pond – but a few hops away would be perfect.2. Dig a hole around 30-45cm deep, with a flat bottom3. Start to fill the hole with your collection of logs, stones/ old bricks4. Make sure that you build a stable structure, ensuring that it won’t topple on top of any sleeping creatures, but don’t pack the materials into the hole too tightly – the aim is to create a maze-like network of corridors leading deep into your new frog home. These corridors should range between a few millimetres and a few centimetres wide. Your frogs and toads will like lots of nooks and crannies, entrances and exits to their new pad.5. Once you’ve filled the hole, continue to stack your materials above ground level, shaping the structure into a small mound.6. You can then pile the left over soil from digging the hole onto the back of your new frog and toad abode – but be careful to leave lots of gaps in the entrance at the side and front of the mound, so that creature can easily access their new winter home.7. You can sprinkle some wildflower seed over the soil on top of your mound – the amphibians will like this extra coverage.
Photo 3: Giving nature a home. David Tipling (rspb-images.com)
Your amphibian hibernation home should last for a couple of years. Over time the structure will begin to lose its shape as the soil naturally moves, so give it a revamp every couple of seasons.
Our garden frogs and toads will start to blink their aquatic eyes open again once the night time temperature starts to rise to over 5’C, which is normally from January onwards. They then head back to their favourite pond in search of love – just in time for Valentine’s Day, but as the saying goes, they may need to kiss a lot of toads before they find their prince or princess! For more info, visit: http://bit.ly/RSPBToad
Create your own personal plan and discover how you can give nature a home in your garden and local greenspaces, here: www.rspb.org.uk/givenatureahome