Frogs

Two years ago the pond on the orchard was nothing more than a newly dug hole, clear water and pond liner. For the last three weeks it’s been bubbling with frogs – swimming, sunbathing, spawning, the orchard full of their soft rumbling sound, all day, all evening. Their mysterious arrival has delighted all of us, especially the children, who spent hours on Saturday lifting them out of the water and watching them hop around the rocks. The frogs seemed quite unperturbed to be handled – sat for a while, then plopped into the water and swam back under the chick weed.

This morning they seem to have gone. Is it the absence of sun on the water, are they hiding at the bottom of the pond, or now they’ve spawned have they’ve returned where they came from?

My young neighbour, George Peck, took these wonderful photographs – how full of character the frog is.