Brian Morland finds an unusual substance in a nearby quarry and looks at the difficulties a frog has to endure in just staying alive.
Since November last year I have been finding clumps of clear, white jelly substances around the restored quarry site. Most have been on the ground, but one clump of jelly was on the top of a fence post. These jelly substances are referred to as 'Star Jelly”. There is a huge amount of folklore about Star Jelly dating back to the 14th century. It was suggested it is deposited on the Earth during meteor showers.
Large quantities of spawn appear every March in this area. Once the tadpoles emerge, there is plenty of cover amongst the collapsed willows and red, fibrous willow roots for them to shelter from predators. As the shallow water warms up, there is also plenty of algae and detritus for the tadpoles to feed on. The main predators of tadpoles are birds. Herons are the obvious predator of adults and tadpoles.
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