frogspawn

Rana temporaria

A mass of thick, transluscent jelly with dark specks throughout
 
The specks are eggs – often 5000 are laid at once
 

Where found

Ponds, ditches and slow moving streams
 

When to look for 

• Usually appears in February / March although look out for early spawn
   
• Tadpoles begin to emerge after about one month

Did you know?

• Frogs can sometimes be fooled by unseasonally warm weather into spawning too soon. We receive records most years of exceptional sightings in November and December
  
  
• Such early spawn is then vulnerable to freezing while it floats on the top of the pond. Frogs only mate once per season so if they are caught out, their breeding effort for the year is wasted
  
  
• Colder winters reduce the risk of early spawning, but bring their own problems as frogs that have hibernated at the bottom of ponds can die if there is a layer of ice on the pond and oxygen levels become too low.