Smooth Newts Breeding at Beckton Pond

Head over to Beckton Pond with your net and your sure to see some of the resident newts. The males are in full breeding mode, showing off their fantastic colours and can be seen sitting on the bottom of the pond or swimming up to the surface for air (look out for bubbles!)

During the breeding season, the males change colour from a dull brown to beautiful brown, orange and reds with black spots on their bellies. They perform a tail display to attract the females. Newt eggs are laid on the leaves of water plants and and neatly folded over.

Male

Female (left) and Male (right)

Diagram showing breeding season colours

Breeding Frogs at Cundy Park

Spring seems to have sprung early this year, with the daffodils starting to bloom and the wildlife getting frisky!

At Cundy Park, in Custom House, the frogs can  be seen both in and around the pond pairing up.
The Common Frog (Rana temporia) returns to the water to breed, and relies on vocalization to find a mate. The male will hold onto the female and fertilize the eggs as she lays them.
She will lay up to 4000 eggs in a clump of spawn in shallow water.


Have you seen any frogs this year? Send in your pics and get them posted on the page!