Warmer Weather

What a difference a day makes.  Cold and an icy wind from the east yesterday, today the wind has dropped, the sun is out and it is a little warmer.  Frogs are making the most of this tiny warm spell and are back in the ponds croaking and spawning.

The saying goes that if the frogs lay their spawn in the shallows and at the edges of ponds it is going to be a wet summer.  If they spawn in the middle and deeper parts of the pond then it is going to be a dry summer.  What shall we get this year, as the frogs do not seem to be sure?

A question often asked is 'How long does it take the spawn to hatch and the tadpoles to develop?'  The answer is - it depends on the temperature.  Spawn was collected and taken into the tank in the Activity Room.  It was laid at the same time as the spawn in the photograph above.  The difference is plain to see.

Hopefully the toads will soon be making their way back to the ponds.