The Wildlife of
Croome

 
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Reptiles - The Common Frog

First seen on Saturday 26th August 2017 at Croome

There are a few types of frog in the UK, but this one (The Common Frog) is the one you are most likely to see. There is also a species called the British Pool Frog, but this is extremely endangered. There are also odd pockets of 'invaders' for example a colony of pretty Iberian Water Frogs that are at Ham Wall in Somerset.

This Common Frog is slightly smaller than a Toad, has smoother skin and a more 'slim' build. It has characteristic folds down its head and back, and a large black patch behind its eye. This one was found in the Church Shrubbery (with a lot of luck).


 

In June 2019 I was lucky enough to see these froglets emerging from the water. There were still tadpoles there as well, so these must have been the more mature ones. I'm assuming they were Frogs, but at this stage they could well have been Toads!



Tadpoles can be found just about anywhere, such as the pond at the south end of the lake (by the Carriage Splash), or along the shallow parts of the river, and around the main lake. At this stage, frog and toad tadpoles look the same.


 

As the tadpoles develop, Toad tadpoles stay black for longer, and the Frog tadpoles develop gold flecks of colour, which you can clearly see in the top one below. You can also see it now has well developed eyes...

I found this little fellow hopping around among some of the bricks near the remains of the old boathouse.