Things to do in March and April
With the help and inspiration of our artists and the Quantock Landscape Partnership Team, we’ve picked out a few things you can do get involved and protect your local landscape. This month we focus on amphibians!
Several species of UK amphibians overwinter in ponds, including common frogs and smooth newts. These animals tend to spend the winter in the silt and decaying leaves at the bottom of ponds. Toads and other newts tend to overwinter underground in damp conditions including in woodlands. The amphibians emerge in very early spring, as evening temperatures increase. To breed, they head to a body of water such as a pond or lake. Amphibians spend most of their lives in damp habitats. Rock piles with rotting wood and some vegetation are ideal for all amphibians.
Froglife has fantastic ideas for creating amphibian friendly habitats and gardens here: https://www.froglife.org/wildlife-at-home/
To engage with amphibians this spring you can:
Take inspiration from our associate artist Natasha Rand as she explores Pond life at Fyne Court through simple printing and sculpting activities you can do anywhere.
The Freshwater Habitats Trust runs the PondNet Spawn survey from December to May: Frog and Toad Spawn Count - PondNet Spawn Survey - Freshwater Habitats Trust
Find out about toad crossings and take part in surveys to help protect Toads on Roads at https://www.froglife.org/what-we-do/toads-on-roads/tormap
Find out more about the Quantock Hills, the Landscape Partnership Scheme and the many ways you can get involved here.