Sunday, February 25, 2007

The futility of frogs


Spring may not have sprung but I’d say it’s definitely crouched back on its haunches and poised to leap into action.

A frog orgy has been going on in the pond in my parents’ garden for the last few days. From a distance, it sounds like a long, low purr, then as you approach, the plop, plop, plopping starts, as the couples dive for cover under a carpet of frogspawn.

Once, it seemed every blade of grass around the pond had its own tiny frog on rainy summer days. But for the last few years, no tadpoles have made it that far. Not since the arrival of the ducks.

They even have their own warning sign on the outskirts of the village near the golf course. It’s a shame the tadpoles don’t realise they should beware of the mallards, too: because before they have time to sprout back legs, they will have been gobbled up.

Last year, my dad put netting over the pond to protect the taddies. It didn’t last for long; the ducks managed to overcome the defences and not a single tadpole survived the siege. It must be futile being a frog.

7 comments:

Stewart said...

Hi. Thank you for the comment about my photo of Bamburgh castle. Your profile says 'nearly Scotland'? Are you in Northumberland too?

Like your frog tales too...

S...

Stewart said...

Hi M&M,
Nice start to your blog. Are you in Northumberland too? If so what's the rough location?

Cheers Stewart

Mutterings and Meanderings said...

Thanks Stewart.

Yep, Northumberland - a bit north of you.

rilly super said...

hellp dear, thanks ever so for dropping by 'strife in the north'.

jolly glad to hear about the frogs in your gardern, at least those lady frogs up here in the north are getting some action!

rilly super said...

ps shouldn't that be the fecundity rather than the futility of frogs, it all sounds rather existentialist if you put it like that.

Stewart said...

Excellent! I'll definately keep looking in.
Cheers.

Mutterings and Meanderings said...

Thanks folks.

Re: Rilly - everything is getting pretty fecund oop here at the moment (apart from me...)

However, the frogs really are futile as their babies get gobbled up.