This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/nov/09/country-diary-the-frogs-disappear-to-the-bottom-of-the-pond-for-winter
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Country diary: the frogs disappear to the bottom of the pond for winter | Country diary: the frogs disappear to the bottom of the pond for winter |
| (2 months later) | |
| Sandy, Bedfordshire As the pond gets a clearout and settles into winter rest, the male frogs prepare to hibernate in their bachelor basement | |
| Derek Niemann | |
| Thu 9 Nov 2017 05.30 GMT | |
| Last modified on Mon 27 Nov 2017 14.05 GMT | |
| Share on Facebook | |
| Share on Twitter | |
| Share via Email | |
| View more sharing options | |
| Share on LinkedIn | |
| Share on Pinterest | |
| Share on Google+ | |
| Share on WhatsApp | |
| Share on Messenger | |
| Close | |
| For six months an iceberg of a frog in our pond gave us a regular heads-up. Two eyes and a plimsoll-line mouth popped out from under the duckweed blanket. The size of the animal beneath was a matter of conjecture until a fortnight ago, when I cleared out the pond and the frog – or rather frogs – were exposed in clear, open water. | For six months an iceberg of a frog in our pond gave us a regular heads-up. Two eyes and a plimsoll-line mouth popped out from under the duckweed blanket. The size of the animal beneath was a matter of conjecture until a fortnight ago, when I cleared out the pond and the frog – or rather frogs – were exposed in clear, open water. |
| All four frogs hung around for the rest of that day. There were two big buddhas the size of my fist. One took proprietary rights at the water’s edge, forelegs resting like a regular with his elbows on the bar. He stared impassively, jowly throat pulsing, as human shadows passed over him again and again. I got on my knees before him, eyeballed him. | All four frogs hung around for the rest of that day. There were two big buddhas the size of my fist. One took proprietary rights at the water’s edge, forelegs resting like a regular with his elbows on the bar. He stared impassively, jowly throat pulsing, as human shadows passed over him again and again. I got on my knees before him, eyeballed him. |
| I blinked first. Frogs have transparent eyelids. | I blinked first. Frogs have transparent eyelids. |
| The other giant, holding to the centre, was invariably accompanied by a 50p-sized frog, maybe one of the previous spring’s tadpoles. When the larger one bobbed up, junior came out from under his chin, a student of flotation. The fourth frog, lithe and long-limbed, kept his distance and surfaced rarely. | The other giant, holding to the centre, was invariably accompanied by a 50p-sized frog, maybe one of the previous spring’s tadpoles. When the larger one bobbed up, junior came out from under his chin, a student of flotation. The fourth frog, lithe and long-limbed, kept his distance and surfaced rarely. |
| Towards dusk, one of the big daddies went a-hunting, stiff, stubby legs crawling up the bank, carrying a great fleshy body that wobbled like a walrus or a saggy popped balloon, a gross monster that had been on the flies. But there is no such thing as an overweight wild animal. After nightfall, I didn’t see it or any of its fellows again. | Towards dusk, one of the big daddies went a-hunting, stiff, stubby legs crawling up the bank, carrying a great fleshy body that wobbled like a walrus or a saggy popped balloon, a gross monster that had been on the flies. But there is no such thing as an overweight wild animal. After nightfall, I didn’t see it or any of its fellows again. |
| The pond has settled into winter rest. Patches of duckweed have regrouped after the scourge. Brown hazel leaves are scattered over the surface, some crinkled and curled, looking fleetingly like beasts that have risen from below, instead of detritus waiting to sink. There are a few filmy bubbles that tell of life beneath. | The pond has settled into winter rest. Patches of duckweed have regrouped after the scourge. Brown hazel leaves are scattered over the surface, some crinkled and curled, looking fleetingly like beasts that have risen from below, instead of detritus waiting to sink. There are a few filmy bubbles that tell of life beneath. |
| They are down there now in their bachelor basement, sitting out the winter, breathing incremental changes in temperature through their skin. These males – and frogs that hibernate in ponds are nearly always males – will squat with their eyes open, staring into the blackness at the bottom for months to come. | They are down there now in their bachelor basement, sitting out the winter, breathing incremental changes in temperature through their skin. These males – and frogs that hibernate in ponds are nearly always males – will squat with their eyes open, staring into the blackness at the bottom for months to come. |
| This article was amended on 15 November 2017 to add the location of Sandy, Bedfordshire. | This article was amended on 15 November 2017 to add the location of Sandy, Bedfordshire. |
| Follow Country diary on Twitter: @gdncountrydiary | Follow Country diary on Twitter: @gdncountrydiary |
| Amphibians | |
| Country diary | |
| Wildlife | |
| Rural affairs | |
| features | |
| Share on Facebook | |
| Share on Twitter | |
| Share via Email | |
| Share on LinkedIn | |
| Share on Pinterest | |
| Share on Google+ | |
| Share on WhatsApp | |
| Share on Messenger | |
| Reuse this content |