[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Millions of little baby frogs and toads, no bigger than your finger tip, will be leaving lakes, ponds, streams and ditches this month to take their first steps on dry land.
They look like fully developed miniature replicas of their parents. Most of these froglets and toadlets emerge at night when it's cooler and they can avoid being seen by daytime predators. Take a torch out with you after dark* and you might see them taking their first adventurous steps at the waters edge.
For these lucky amphibians, which have managed to survive early frosts and disease, life is still very risky. As they leave the pond, they are easy prey for predators. If they can make it beyond their first winter their prospects of a full life increase. Some frogs may live seven years, and a few toads might make it to their early teens.
Fri May 31, 2013 4:38 pm