As we have done tree work we have generated a lot of scrub and brush wood. We left it in piles to rot down and become a home for whatever might want to live there. Insects, Small Mammals, Amphibians and Reptiles all enjoy a good pile of sticks!
We are delighted to welcome our first new residents, who moved in this Autumn and brought a rather large extended family with them. Everywhere there are sticks, there are frogs. They are Common Frogs but vary significantly in terms of size and appearance, you could easily be forgiven for thinking we had many species, just by the different colours alone. That is because Common Frogs can change their camouflage to blend into their surroundings. A frog living in a pile of old leaves, will adopt an orange or brown theme; where as one by a river bank, pond or field maybe more green. We have some that are quite bright oranges and yellows, and other less spectacular greens and browns; possibly due to the vibrant colours of willow growing on the river bank. I wonder if and how quickly they might change colour, now they are in their new residence.
