Froglet Danger Zone?

[slimrbp]

I am after a bit of advice formy pond. When I put it in last year I put aslope at one end so that birds and mammals could get in for a drink with reduced danger.
My concern now after reading stories of froglets sticking to hot paving slabs and rocks that it may prove to be dangerous as I have covered the slope in pebbles partly to aid an escape but also the inverts seem to like hiding in them.
The pebbles are beach pebbles, should I cover the exposed ones with soil on the off chance we get tadpoles this year?

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by slimrbp

I am after a bit of advice formy pond. When I put it in last year I put aslope at one end so that birds and mammals could get in for a drink with reduced danger.
My concern now after reading stories of froglets sticking to hot paving slabs and rocks that it may prove to be dangerous as I have covered the slope in pebbles partly to aid an escape but also the inverts seem to like hiding in them.
The pebbles are beach pebbles, should I cover the exposed ones with soil on the off chance we get tadpoles this year?

If I were you I'd just keep an eye on it, the crack and crevices between the pebbles may well stay damp and cool and provide excellent passage for froglets. In my experiance it seems to be the re-constituted stone slabs that can cause problems rather than the natural stuff. If you do find that you're seeing a problem yes perhaps put some soil over or even just a damp towel/ piece of hessian for the crucial few weeks.

[Kayleigh]

You could also plant something like water forget-me-not or watercress into the gravel if it gets invasive pull some up..
I had this problem with mine and I did loose a few tiny toads the gravel is now covered with vegetation so is no longer a problem though the plant that covers it is lol..

[tom00_uk]

i would not worry about changing it, from the image there is plenty of thick grass for them to hide out in before moving on under the cover of darkness.

Its more of a issue if you have a water feature surrounded by paving etc and no shade for them to use.

The pond in our garden is like yours and then round the house over 50m up the garden is a concrete slab/drive. there are always large numbers of frogs found on the slab between the flower pots and there has never been any found "cooked". Probably as they have only crossed the slab after day has started to cool down. the big danger area for them is the lawn, its not always possible to run a rake over the expanse of it to stir them from hiding before mowing, so care has to be taken to avoid them when they break cover.

the pebbles are proving a good area for small mammals and birds to access the water and if you cover with soil unless held in places in some way it will be washed into the pond.

[slimrbp]

Thanks for the reassurances!

At the moment we only have one resident frog so it might not issue unless some friends turn up!