Are you looking at me?

A frog gives me a stern look on my garden steps

I don't know who leapt the furthest, me or the frog I found in the garden on Sunday. I was tidying a quiet corner of the garden and this beautiful sight was my reward, once I'd got over the surprise! It got me thinking, I don't have a pond at VP Gardens, but frogs do seem to like it here. There's a stream nearby which helps, so what am I doing right to encourage them?

This article from The Guardian has some pointers. Apparently frogs spend two years on land before they breed and they love lots of leaf litter and log piles to hide in. These places are also a good source of favourite food such as slugs. I have plenty of leaf litter courtesy of the trees nearby and my 'compost direct' policy, plus I've hidden a number of small log piles in quiet corners. Shady areas and the clay soil probably help as parts of the garden remain damp even in exceptionally dry weather.

I've since realised I had an improvised pond in the shape of a small tub trug tucked away and forgotten behind the pergola in my side garden. I decided to tidy this away on Sunday and the frog leapt up when I tipped the water out. It seems this was an ideal pond, at over 2 feet in depth and with a few discarded pots within to help the frog out if needed.

To rephrase a well-known film quotation, it seems that 'if you leave it they will come'. My frog soon dived into the shelter of the ivy at the side of the garden after I took this photo. I've returned the tub trug back to its hiding place in the hope it'll return to it in time.

What wildlife encounters have you had lately?

Comments

  1. oldhouseintheshires8 August 2017 at 09:14

    The old house garden is full of tiny frogs at the moment too...oh and large ones! I love it as they eat all of these pesky slugs that are around lately due to all the rain! I love that you are in Wiltshire too! Thats awesome! Im trying to encourage hedgehogs at the moment. we have an old resident one but he needs a friend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP8 August 2017 at 09:48

      Hello and welcome to Veg Plotting! Yes, they love slugs and I'm sure there are less slugs in the parts of the garden where this one has been resident :) We're raised up from the nearby land so sadly no hedgehogs for us, but I was pleased to see one trundling around the estate a couple of weeks ago. I saw a bold rabbit in the middle of the estate too!

      Delete
    2. oldhouseintheshires9 August 2017 at 17:32

      Thats awesome Michelle! I still find it awesome that we are chatting over this amazing thing called the internet yet we live so close!!
      Thank you so much for linking to my blogging linky called #MyGloriousGardens this month. It really has been lovely having you.
      I will write a round up post next week too. xx

      Delete
  2. Sandy8 August 2017 at 13:40

    Yes, coincidentally a frog found last weekend in a pig trough that I'd tried to use as a planter; this didn't work as there were no drainage holes so the compost became saturated. I was emptying it to drill some holes in the bottom to allow the water to drain when I found the frog. It moved off smartly in the direction of a large pond from whence it came I suppose. I didn't get the chance to photograph it, wish I had.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP14 August 2017 at 10:43

      Luckily the frog had only moved a few yards away when I returned with my camera Steve. For you there's always next time...

      Delete
  3. Lea8 August 2017 at 14:00

    I have not seen any frogs this year, but we do have toads to help control the insects
    Have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP14 August 2017 at 10:43

      They're great to have in the garden Lea :)

      Delete
  4. Anna8 August 2017 at 16:07

    Your post made me smile VP as I had a close encounter with a frog earlier on this summer. I was gardening when a frog landed on my hand which certainly gave me a start. We don't have a pond but have a small surface water stream bordering one side of the garden. We see frogs about most years.
    They seem to enjoy the shelter provided by the cold frames. Hope that your froggy returns to that five star trug home soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP14 August 2017 at 10:45

      Sound like we have a similar garden situation Anna as far as water is concerned - our stream is only 50 yards or so away. I don't know what I would have done if the frog had landed on my hand :o

      Delete
  5. Sue Garrett8 August 2017 at 18:50

    We have lots of frogs and toads at the allotment. They spend quite a lot of time on dry land outside of the breeding season. I always smile when people say they found a frog on their plot and took it to the nearest pond. A few plot holders and outside have them. No doubt the poor frog just left that area and gone in search of a meal. Until recently I didn't realise that frogs could climb so well. I saw one climbing up the wire netting that surrounds our fruit cage.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP14 August 2017 at 10:46

      Crikey Sue, I din't know they could climb!

      Delete
  6. Margaret8 August 2017 at 18:53

    I found two really big frogs the other day at the side of allotment pond. They jumped into the pond when I disturbed them. Frogs are so quiet, they seem to appear out of nowhere then disappear again

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP14 August 2017 at 10:47

      Yes they are quiet, which is why they're such a surprise when they leap into view! My froggy encounters in Spain have been quite different - they're quite noisy there.

      Delete
  7. Lucy Corrander Now in Halifax!9 August 2017 at 11:40

    Bother. I've just written the first post about my new allotment - and in it I say how I met a toad and two days later I found it dead. After reading your post I've been looking at the differences between frogs and toads. The creature I found dead was upside down and clearly had long legs - frog. But it was very long . . and I would not have expected a frog there either because there is no stream or pond. There are water butts, but I'd think they are too high to get into and too awkward to get out of. Initially, I thought the 'toad' had succumbed to the weed killer used on the next allotment along - eating slugs which had feasted there first. But because it was upside down, I wondered if a bird had caught and dropped it. Too late now. I expect it has been eaten by something else. (Which may, or may not, have a tummy ache.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP14 August 2017 at 10:48

      I enjoyed your story Lucy, irrespective of whether your encounter was a frog... or a toad ::)

      Delete
  8. oldhouseintheshires3 September 2017 at 21:44

    Its the september Link party if you fancy it Michelle. x
    https://oldhouseintheshires.com/2017/09/01/mygloriousgardens-september-link-up-party/

    ReplyDelete

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I love hearing from you and welcome thoughtful conversations :)

Comments aiming to link back and give credence to commercial websites will be composted!

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