Frogspawn is usually seen very early in the Spring on the Lizard, often as early as January, in pools and even in waterlogged ruts on tracks. 

Photo: © Natural England/Allan Drewitt

The Common Frog, which belongs to the amphibian family Ranidae, can be found across Europe, except for Portugal and much of Spain, Italy and the south Balkans. One of eight species of brown frog in Europe, it is more common than the other seven. It is very variable in colouring and markings: though it is usually brown or greeny-grey, yellow or reddish colouring is not uncommon.

Associated with water, like other amphibians, it generally only uses waterbodies for breeding, producing the frogspawn and tadpoles we all know so well, and sometimes for hibernation, when it stays on the bottom, breathing through its skin. For the rest of the time it is a terrestrial animal, preferring damp places protected from bright sunlight, and with cover to help it in avoiding predators.

A common sight in the Spring is the newly metamorphosed small frogs hopping through the vegetation as they disperse from the natal pond.

Threats to frogs include not only loss of ponds, but also pollution. They are also affected by the diseases Frog Ranavirus and Chytridiomycosis – you can find out more about these from the Pond Conservation site: see the link below.