Snowdrops

Snowdrops are one of the first flowers to pop their heads up after the winter.  They grow from bulbs and come back year after year.  The correct time to move and transplant snowdrops is just after they have flowered when the leaves are present.  This is unusual for bulbs as all other bulbs like daffodils and tulips should be moved in autumn.

Frogspawn in our pond.

This spring we are lucky to have some frogspawn in our small pond.  Frogs hibernate over the winter and gather in ponds, streams, ditches and anywhere water lodges.  The female lays the spawn and the male fertilises it.  During this time of the year frogs can be heard croaking in the evenings. The spawn had little black dots in the centre, these lengthen into 'commas'.  After a number of days they hatch into tadpoles.  As the summer goes on the tadpoles develop back legs, then front legs, the shape of their heads change and their tails shorten and disappear.  At this stage the little frogs can drown as they loose their gills and develop lungs.  It is important they have a stone or plant to climb on and leave the pond.