Toads

Spring hit England this weekend - finally!! The weather was beautiful and there is only one option in these circumstances. We headed off into the wild to liaise with the native amphibians and also took our Galoob Animal truck, just so we could drive it over stuff!

The pond was absolutely teaming with croaking toads. Huge spheres of slimy vertebrates formed all over the murky surface, as males clambered to secure the plum position astride enormous females. It is easy to forget the size differential and every season brings it back home with a bang - some of the battling tiddlers looked quite ridiculous as they hung on to their whale-esque partners. 

We must have caught forty toads and the odd frog. For some reason toads massively outnumbered frogs in this pond. It was just too easy and you had to be careful not to step on them. The kids could have spent all day catching and releasing said amphibians. The pair above were particularly comical, with the female being significantly larger than any others we saw that day. 

Magical weather and so nice to be in the thick of nature again. Everything felt so full of life - multiple species of birds singing in the trees, amphibians and insects everywhere. 

The common Toad (Bufo bufo) is normally a solitary animal, but convene in huge numbers during the breeding season and also ignore their usually crepuscular patterns to try and progress genetic material into the next generation. It is winner takes all. 

After a lovely day in the fresh air we made a quick trip to town and the boys capped off a special weekend with some outdoor amusements. 

Be outside!