frogs – Donich Website

Frogs here and gone

donich_admin — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 20:53:17 +0000

In spite of the constant heron activities, the frogs did finally arrive in our pond, and for about a week we could hear the low burble of their croaking whenever we walked down the drive. In fact I think the frogs have done very well this year – every pool and puddle seems to be choked with spawn.

Then as suddenly as they appeared they are gone again for another year – leaving a whole corner of our pond (can you have a corner on something round?) a mass of slime.

Spring Flowers

donich_admin — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 21:12:30 +0000

The spring flowers are finally in bloom.

Narcissi everywhere in the garden.

One solitary snowdrop which has suddenly appeared by the fence – I’ve never seen one in our garden before and actually there aren’t that many in this area.

Some pretty flowers which grow in the drive every year and which someone told me were windflowers.

Also – just as I had given up on them – the slimies (frogs) have arrived in the pond as usual and are mating away like crazy.

Arrival of the Frogs

donich_admin — Tue, 21 Feb 2017 20:05:09 +0000

Going up to the waterfall the other day we noticed that there was frog spawn in one of the pools by the side of the path. Strangely this particular pool always seems to get the frog spawn earliest – and the first year we were here I got my feet soaking wet filling a jar with it to put in our pond. Little did I know that our pond gets filled with the stuff without needing any human intervention.

Then today I met one of the originators of the spawn by the side of the path.

A large frog or as we call them a “slimy”. I touched him to make him jump off the path in case someone trod on him and he hopped off into the ditch. Normally I love seeing the heron on the pond, but at this time of year I feel terribly sorry for the poor frogs getting swallowed up just as they are mating – so I am thinking of putting a flag next to their trysting place in the hope it will deter the heron.

Frog on the Blog

donich_admin — Sat, 12 Mar 2016 16:11:03 +0000

When R opened the front door today ready to set off on our morning walk, we found we had an unexpected guest.

He seemed quite fine, but I was concerned the cats might get him, so I carried him down to the pond. He sat up quite calmly on my hand and looked about him, and then when I put him down in the damp grass near the water’s edge, he hopped off quite unconcerned.

Actually I am not sure the cats would touch a frog. The only time I saw them encounter one was back in Livingston when I was sitting out in the garden. Suddenly there was a commotion behind the shed, and when I went to investigate, Schrodi was pawing at something in the leaf litter. Then the something suddenly jumped, and Schrodi jumped higher then turned and fled. So they may well be a bit scared of our amphibious friends.

Just as well really, because the two weeks of ‘frog madness’ has just started here. Our pond is alive with them and you can hear the sound of their croaking almost from the house. Already there is lots of spawn, and by the end of the fortnight, the pond will be choked with it. Then as suddenly as they appeared, the frogs will be gone, and won’t put in any substantial appearances until late July or August when they will show themselves again briefly. They are also all over the roads, sadly dead as well as alive. R does his best to avoid them, but sometimes it is just not possible, particularly on a single-track road where there isn’t a lot of room for manoeuvre.

What a beautiful day….

marionmccune — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 20:59:16 +0000

Today was truly lovely (well it had a Goil moment at lunchtime and rained for half an hour but we will forgive it that). R and I walked up to the waterfalls and for the first time you could really smell spring in the air. On the way back the Highland cows had colonized the track and we had to skirt between a set of horns and the hindquarters of the bull to get past – they really are the calmest of creatures because they didn’t move a muscle when we passed within three feet of them. We also saw a load of frog spawn in a ditch where unfortunately it may dry up – tomorrow I will get some of it in a jar and put it in our pond (hopefully to replace some of the frogs eaten by the heron).

I’m testing for the rest of this week – so this was my final full day in the garden. The vegetable plots now look like this.

I reckon I am still on target to have them ready for planting by the time the soil reaches the magic 8 degrees.

It was nearly 20 degrees in the poly and greenhouse today and quite a few things are coming through. I also started looking at making a herb garden – I’m growing some – but I also have ones from last year which I had in pots at the old house and have brought with me (tut tut).

I’m keeping them in an old cold frame at the moment. Some of the pots are mysteries because they were here already and have no labels but I am presuming they are herbs because they were with other herbs which were labelled. I also have two new parsleys from the garden centre – so once they get a bit acclimatised, I will move everything outside next to the beautiful big bay tree we have inherited.