Following on from the success of the children’s amphibian workshop, Will Johanson of Froglife came along to Preston Park to provide another really interesting and enjoyable workshop for adults. Froglife is a wildlife charity committed to the conservation of amphibians and reptiles. They’re currently running a three-year project, Discovering Dewponds, which includes the restoration of 12 dewponds to hold amphibians.
Day 1: morning session
This began with a presentation on the seven species of amphibians in the UK: how to identify them, their habitats and their breeding behaviour. The five you are most likely to see in Sussex are the common frog, common toad, smooth newt, palmate newt and great crested newt.
Amphibians have a variety of habitats that include long grass, flowerbeds and vegetable patches; compost heaps, sheds and greenhouses; logs and log piles; and rockeries. However, they go in search of ponds to breed: the toads and frogs generally in February and March, and the newts in March to June. Toads usually prefer larger ponds, but interestingly they have been known to breed in the Rotunda Pond in Preston Park.
The second part of the session was devoted to habitat management: where and how to construct and maintain ponds for breeding amphibians, and ‘hibernaculums’ (largely constructed from logs) where amphibians can shelter over the winter.
Day 2: five-hour session
This was spent at the pond in Preston Park’s wild garden and devoted to two activities: pond dipping – which revealed that the pond contains newt larvae – and the construction of a hibernaculum. This involved digging a large hole, sawing logs to a variety of lengths, and then using the logs and a bag of rubble to construct a shelter. It was very satisfying to be able to do something practical as well as learn so much over the two days.
FoPP would like to thank Will and Froglife once again for running these workshops and we hope he will return next year so that more residents can learn the skills needed to encourage and protect the wonderful pondlife that we have in the Preston Park area.
