Frog spawn

Give or take some forecasted snow and sub-zero temperatures, spring seems to have become an unstoppable force in the Uckfield area. The number of flowers blooming in the garden has increased from a few shy snow drops to a cascade of daffodils, primroses, hellebores and so many more.

Helebores and snowdrops photographed on 10 March, 2013.

Leaf buds are fattening, blue tits inspecting boxes and the frogs in our Manor Park garden are, at long last, spawning.

I've been keeping rough records for some time and this is the first time that I've noted them spawning so late. Here are the dates I've recorded over the past few years

• 2013 - 6th March
• 2012 - 25th Feb
• 2011 - 20th Feb
• 2010 - 28th Feb 
• 2009 - saw frogs active in pond 18th Feb
• 2008 - saw frogs active in pond 29th Feb
• 2007 - saw frogs active in pond 11th Feb
• 2005 - 19th Feb.

The frogs have produced a reasonable quantity of spawn in a few days.

 Of course, our frogs are not the only ones to have been busy recently. From Twitter, two local people had frogs spawning well ahead of mine:

• Tim Benians (@UckFramingCo) on the 27th of February
• Jenny Bacon (@Metique) on the 1st of March

Jenny is one of a heroic band that make sure that Uckfield's toads get to the pond on the Harlands estate by picking them up, putting them in buckets and carrying them across the roads. This work started around the 6th of March and continued for a number of days.