Yesterday we saw our first baby toad – almost adult, without a tail.
Taking a picture was non too easy as he was quite frisky.
Today I realised he was not alone and a group of them were becoming more adventuresome and coming right out of the water to use their newly developed lungs.
I went to get a little bit of netting to help them climb out the plastic pond more easily but I need not have bothered as they were already on the stones surrounding the pond and in the grass.
Now we are frightened to go near the pond in case we stand on them!
They still like to keep together and there are plenty of damp places around the pool under the stones. In fact, all around the pool you can see baby toads, despite there still being tadpoles in the pool.
We first noticed the eggs on 21 May 2021. However, it is possible there were other spawning events before or after that date. The other tadpoles may just be late developers. Seemingly, once the toads leave the water they only return eventually to breed. They have chosen a good time to enter the garden because it is warm and damp, which sounds perfect for baby toads.
I do not expect to find any slugs in the garden now!
a french garden 
Those baby toads are sooo cute!!! 😍
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It has been interesting watching them grow. Amelia
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How I would love to have toads to eat all my slugs. Your garden looks wonderful I very much enjoy reading your adventures.
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I do not think I’ll get rid of my slugs so easily, but I can dream :). Amelia
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Even their mother couldn’t call them beautiful but they are so welcome in the garden. I used to have loads but I think grass snakes eat the tadpoles here.
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I have never seen grass snakes here but we have harmless snakes called “coulouvres”, I think they are a type of whip snake. We have them in the garden so I never thought about it but they must be having a feast. Amelia
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Cute!
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Well. we get a lot of fun watching them. Amelia
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So cute ! Wonderful !
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Very nice for you to be able to see all of this, the newts in our pond eat any spawn but it is nice to have newts.
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The only newts I have seen in the garden are our marbled newts. I do not think they go into the water again once they are mature. They are so slow that I cannot imagine them eating anything unless it jumped into their mouths. But survive they do so they must find something that moves not much faster than they do. I have heard they eat earthworms. There are two other types of newts in the region so perhaps the pond might attract them. I would like to see a newt in the pond. Amelia
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Is there such a thing as a “plague of toads” ???
bonnie in provence
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Now, now, we are having unseasonal inundations and thunderstorms, so please do not let’s think about a plague of toads on top of that! 🙂 Amelia
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And we mustn’t forget the plague of cigales that’s going on as usual right now!!!
bonnie in provence
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I think we are just on the edge of their territory. I have not heard any here this year.
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We have had quite a lot of cigales this year, more than the last few.
bonnie in vaucluse
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Most cicadas have annual life cycles but I have heard in the USA there are species that have longer regular nymphal stages and when those species emerge as adults they have a bumper year. I don’t know whether it works like that in France too.
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Not as far as I’ve been able to find out. Its just that some years are better for them than others, no doubt on the breeding the preceding year and the success of the larvae or eggs over the winter. I only really notice them if they are drowning out my conversation with someone …..
bonnie with lots of cigales
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Very jealous, they’re lovely!
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There are no more baby toads around today, so they must have hopped it to pastures green. There are still tadpoles in the pond so I think there must have been more than one brood (is brood the correct word, you know what I mean). Amelia
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Oh, so sweet! So jealous! Must get my own pond!
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Adorable!!!
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