I believe a type of frog stays as a tadpole over winter but I don't know if it is native to our country. Living where I do out on the moors we only have spring water in our house, it comes from further up the moors underground, there must have been a hatching? of frogs somewhere near because our water keeps going off in the house and sometimes in the barn where it is fed from a different spring.
One dark night I was getting ready for work (nights as a nurse) and went for a shower having just got up, No water my husband and I had to go out to our water tank in the dark, in the wind and rain (me in my dressing gown) take the water pipe out of the tank (my husband got soaked) I then fetched him a bottle brush to unblock the pipe with. When he had finished he threw the brush down to me saying the problem was solved, I had to use the torch to find the brush, you've guessed it! on the end of the brush a frog. It has happened many times since though we've usually managed to save the frog or sometimes it has unblocked itself, so we assume the frog swims off somewhere else.
Next to my compost bin I have a pile of logs left over from a major conifer hedge cutting session done a couple of years ago. I have been putting shrub trimmings on top of this heap for a year or two.
I decided to tackle this mini mountain and as I gently took it apart some lovely big fat toads jumped out at me - I nearly fell over in surprise! I have also found a toad in an old wheelbarrow that I havent used for some time. I must admit I thought you only found toads and frogs near ponds.
The first year I had my pond a frog found its way into it. Every year the frog population keeps growing to the extent that there is now no room for my five goldfish. Every year I fish out the frogs - don't get me wrong - I don't mind a few but it is getting ridiculous. I have still some escapees but I took at least fifty down to the local lake. Trouble is if there were over sixty this year and if left and they all came back next year with their offspring, I would have been overrun - and my pond is only a couple of feet wide by about three feet long!!! I believe they find their way back to their old breeding grounds so I still may have not gotten rid of them permanently.
I have disturbed several frogs this week too! I have covered my compost heap with 3 layers of carpet mis-shapes and a sheet of black plastic. I lifted the black plastic this week to add to my compost heap and there were 3 frogs sitting on top of the warm carpet! They found an ideal spot, and lots of slugs and snails to eat as well!
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One dark night I was getting ready for work (nights as a nurse) and went for a shower having just got up, No water my husband and I had to go out to our water tank in the dark, in the wind and rain (me in my dressing gown) take the water pipe out of the tank (my husband got soaked) I then fetched him a bottle brush to unblock the pipe with. When he had finished he threw the brush down to me saying the problem was solved, I had to use the torch to find the brush, you've guessed it! on the end of the brush a frog. It has happened many times since though we've usually managed to save the frog or sometimes it has unblocked itself, so we assume the frog swims off somewhere else.
I decided to tackle this mini mountain and as I gently took it apart some lovely big fat toads jumped out at me - I nearly fell over in surprise! I have also found a toad in an old wheelbarrow that I havent used for some time.
I must admit I thought you only found toads and frogs near ponds.