Garden ponds and water form an important link in the Tufa Field. Amphibians in particular need wet grass to move around. It’s perhaps not so well known that many amphibians spend more time out of the water than in, usually frequenting deeper water only to breed. This time of the year (May) , tadpoles are starting the transition to their adult form.

When young they are vegetarian. But as they mature, they develop more carnivorous tastes until, fully formed, they predate gastropods ( slugs and snails) in our gardens.  Of course they also form part of the food chain themselves, being prey for herons and raptors.

We captured some of this transition in the video that follows.

Warning! Some may find the content a little gruesome, but that’s nature!

It shows what happens when a slug strays a little too close to the pond edge….