Dead froglets

[Purplepixii]

Hi, hoping someone can shed some light on why my little froglets are dying please.

I've raised the froglets from spawn in their own wildlife pond (see my signature for photo's taken through their stages of growth).

The majority of the spawn has successfully grown to tadpoles and then little froglets (with some tadpoles still to change).

I've recently been finding some of the froglets dead on 2 particular stepping stones in the garden which i'm finding both odd and a bit sad, see pics below

Pic 1

Pic 2


The 2 stones are approx 60cm from the nearest edge of the ornamental pond which is approx 1.5m long with the wildlife pond being at the other end (so stepping stones approx 2m from wildlife pond).

These deaths are happening overnight, not during the day. No-one uses the stepping stones after dark (or if they do then they take a torch specifically so nothing is trodden on) so I know it's not my husband or I accidentally killing them.

Were it happening in the daytime I could probably attribute it to birds or the stones being very hot due to being heated by the sun all day.

The only thing I can think of is that the stepping stones are retaining so much heat (even after dark) causing the froglets to stick to them? Is that the answer maybe and if so what can I do to stop this? Should I somehow cover the stepping stones at the end of each day (and uncover them again in the morning)

As I said I'm rather confused and a little sad as I've raised these critters since birth & what with wildlife having a tough start this year due to the weather I was hoping to give them a good start in life

Sarah

[Gill Catton]

I've seen this happen before on paving slabs, its very very dry this year and the froglets when they step onto the stone get stuck because they are damp and the stone is so dry and they really have no strength in them, little souls as they are.

Put a wet tea-towel over the stones and that should solve the problem.

[Purplepixii]

Oh god I feel awful now

As I've not seen this happen on either the stepping stones which are different to the type pictured, or the stones around the ponds, I guess I just cover the 3 problematic stepping stones?

It's a good excuse to sort out my tea-towel drawer I suppose

Sarah

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by Purplepixii

Oh god I feel awful now

As I've not seen this happen on either the stepping stones which are different to the type pictured, or the stones around the ponds, I guess I just cover the 3 problematic stepping stones?

It's a good excuse to sort out my tea-towel drawer I suppose

Sarah

Oh no don't feel awful! Its just one of those things I didn't think that sort of thing would happen either until I saw it for myself! It seems to be worse on those sort of 'reformed' type of stone rather than the natural stuff. but I have seen it happen on limestone slabs too, I think how pourous the stone is has an effect.

[posie]

...As it is only 3 stepping stones, I would take them up..problem solved..you could later replace them with less porous ones, or you'll have the same trouble forever, every year, if you leave them there....Posie..

Weather soooo dry and breezy here, wet teatowels would dry out and get blown off the stones, it's like the mediterranean here at the moment...

[Purplepixii]

Problem with pulling them up is I use them a lot to cross the grass without treading on anything and we couldn't find 3 like the 12 or so we already have but I will look again I think!

Will do the wet tea towel thing for now and put some chunky pebbles on too to hold the towels down - it seems like a great short-term fix I reckon.

Thanks all
Sarah

[posie]

..Yes, good idea short term...I do wonder if you could find out if you could coat the stones with a sort of outdoor laquer, so they had a waterproof surface more like the others...needs an 'expert' opinion really before you do it though...Good luck with it anyway...Posie..

[Gill Catton]

I was wondering about spreading them with yoghurt later in the year as this is supposed to encourage lichen and moss growth (not sure if that's true though!) and also I suppose this might make the slippy for humans!!

[posie]

Hi Gill and Sarah, I'm surprised none of the chaps have come in with ideas, Cotham Marble might know something..

Posie

[Purplepixii]

Hiya, I have an update

I covered the 3 offending stones with tea towels and "watered" them last night - I wonder if the neighbours saw me and wondered what the hell I was up to lol! Checked this morning - there was 1 dead frog under a tea towel but I'm not sure if it was left from the day before or snuck under the tea towel last night....?

Have been out today to all the local garden centres but was unable to find the same "good stones" that I have - all of them were that horrible porous material again

I bought some stuff for lining hanging baskets as a last resort (or so I thought) and on the way home nipped into another garden centre which I had totally forgotten about. They didn't have suitable stones but they did have round "slabs" of tree trunks (double the height of my normal stones but more suitable I reckon). I found 1 spare "good stone" in the garden when I got home so have now replaced all 3 bad stones and have my fingers crossed

As it turns out, the double-height natural wood steppers are great as they're placed in the part of the garden where we are letting the grass grow and the normal stones were disappearing quickly.

Fingers crossed this was a good idea! If not, I still have the hanging basket liner stuff.

Sarah