Common Frog Rana temporaria
Wandering around Ashridge Forest early one damp March morning last year on my annual, fruitless search for Lesser-spotted Woodpeckers, I was happily diverted by hundreds of Common Frogs Rana temporaria that had gathered to breed in a tiny pond near Monument Drive. At times the water was a boiling mass of frogs, but the slightest movement sent them all diving under the surface making it necessary to lie perfectly still in the mud and wet leaves at the dark waters edge and wait for them to pop up again. Often one or two would swim closer to the bank and stare intently at me with large, curious eyes, and I was able to take these pictures, which I think convey something of the endearing and comical side to these wonderful creatures.
Common Frogs are able to breathe through their skin allowing them to hibernate in leaves or mud underwater, as well as in compost heaps and under logs and stones on land. In the early spring they travel to ponds to mate and spawn, often the same sites where they originally developed from spawn into adults. Interestingly Common Frogs have the ability to lighten and darken their skin to blend in with the surrounding environment and in Scotland completely red or black individuals sometimes occur.
I made a return visit to the same pond in early spring this year but was disappointed to find a much reduced number of frogs, perhaps as a result of the long, harsh winter.
Common Frogs Rana temporaria
Pair of Common Frogs in Amplexus
Common Frog Rana temporaria
Common Frog Rana temporaria
Common Frog Rana temporaria
Pair of Common Frogs in Amplexus
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