Next generation
Our pond in the Genus garden comes alive every spring when our resident toads leave their winter quarters in the dry-stone walls and head for the water. Much merriment ensues, and they leave us strings of spawn intricately threaded around the lilies, through the water-soldiers, and between the marginal plants. By July the tadpoles have developed legs, lost their tails, and left the pond for the safety of the flower beds and into the same walls that their parents have used as shelter for decades.
There was a bit of a worrying hiccup this year when the adults started dying in large numbers, seemingly afflicted by some dreadful disease. We never did fully diagnose the problem but some spawn was shed and by May there were tadpoles actively feeding on the algae that forms around the edges of the pond.
What a joy then to discover one of these toadlets as we split perennials in the borders. With the clumps transported to the potting station, the pint-sized amphibian appeared in the wheelbarrow. Balancing on the rim, and deciding whether to jump, we scooped it up and placed it next to the wall where it soon found its way into the dark mossy recesses. It was so encouraging to see the next generation after the disaster of the spring. Hopefully, in two or three years it’ll return to the pond to breed, bolstering the population that was so severely affected.
