Frogs and Toads but no pond?

[LRM]

Our garden has at least 1 Frog and 1 Toad, but we don't have a pond. I have never really thought about where they go to spawn. I have read that they can travel 2 weeks to get to their regular spawning pond and then come home again. But, over the last few years they have built a fence along the edges of our garden and built a housing estate there and beyond the estate, razed the old mining area, covered with gorse, where there may have been ponds.

So it finally occurred to me just what do my toads and frogs do? Of course, it is difficult to tell if the numbers have dwindled, ie gone away and not managed to get back. There are various trays, buckets, saucepans scattered around (for the plants) and I have occasionally found frogs in them in dry summers, but never found spawn.

Out in the fields in the past I have found spawn in flooded tractor ruts - not very good as they soon dry out.

So presumably if they were desperate they could use my plant trays even if they are small.

Any ideas of why they are not spawning here? Or maybe they have tried to go their normal ponds and not survived the journey across the new estates.

Digging a pond is not an option.

[Kayleigh]

Hi,

Although frogs have been known to spawn in odd places I don't think its the norm.
Its sad that their habitat has been taken away but its happening all over that's where we can do our bit, you don't need a pond.
I made a water feature in a barrel 4 years ago, frogs have spawned in there ever since it don't take up much space the corner of the patio..
Toads and newts need a bigger body of water..
here is my barrel this might be an option for you to think about.

Frogs and a barrel pond, 4 years on.

[LRM]

Thanks for the reply and photos.

I have sometimes seen them in my plant water trays but never seen spawn. So I'll have to make something more permanent with a few plants, like your half barrel. Actually, we have an old bath in my fathers garden full of dead leaves. I will have to try and get someone to move it - which is the biggest problem - and see if it is possible to do anything constructive with it. Of course it may be too slippery, I'll have to have a think about it.

[tattan]

We also have a garden with no pond but many frogs and some toads too. This morning we found what looks like frog spawn on the earth in the green house, a jelly like mass of what look like eggs very dark looking. Could this be frogs spawn, why in the green house? What should I do with it for it to have a chance to hatch.
tattan

[Kayleigh]

The bath would be perfect if you could sink it into the ground and put plants up to the surface level so there is a platform for the frogs ect to get out and lots of oxygenating plants to keep the water clean.

do the same tattan with a container the plants will provide food for a while then feed them fish food or dried bloodworm.