Frogs! Creating a sanctuary and protecting their habitats
Welcome to this site. Here you will find a lot of information about frogs and how to attract them to your garden, as well as advice on keeping them as pets. We take these creatures for granted, but did you know that they are currently under threat worldwide? It is a sad fact that they are losing their habitats. Pollution plays a huge part in their declining numbers and there is a new and deadly parasitic fungus known as amphibian chytrid.
These creatures are often portrayed in fairy stories and folklore as clumsy, ugly beings but often with hidden talents. Also, in Medieval Europe, some religions, notably Catholicism, believed that this particular amphibian represented the Devil due to the fact that Witches used them as 'familiars'.
The Ancient Egyptians believed that a frog-headed goddess called Heket, and her husband Khnumu (who had a goat’s head) brought about the creation of man and other gods. In hieroglyphics Heket is depicted as a frog and the number 100,000 was symbolized by a tadpole. It is presumed this is because of the abundance of tadpoles at certain times of the year.
The most famous event though between man and frogs occurred around 1000 BC in the city of Rameses where according to the Bible, a plague of frogs was seen as the second in a chain of ten catastrophes that happened because of unprovoked bad behavior by the Pharaoh. It is more than likely that this legend was based on a successful breeding season, resulting in extraordinary numbers of frogs spreading over the nearby countryside. It could well be that the consequent plagues of insects and disease may well have happened as a result of most of these poor creatures in the absence of adequate amounts of food, dying and decaying in the North African summer.
They were also represented in China and India, as they believed that the world rested on the back of a gigantic frog and that earthquakes were the result of his slightest movement. Other folklore has it that eclipses of the moon were due to a frog eating it.
The Maya Indians of Central America thought that the creature was a partner of the god Chac. Chac made the rains come and the frog Uo calls out to Chac when it is time for Chac to soak the earth with water from his gourd (A container or ornament made from the hollowed and dried skin of this fruit).
In the Middle Ages, frogs and toads have been associated with witchcraft as mentioned above. The toad's saving grace was that it was believed at that time to have a precious stone hidden in its head. The stones were known as 'toadstones' and were thought to bear magical powers including destroying poisons and curing stomach pains and aches. William Shakespeare refers to this toadstone in As You Like It when the words are : Sweet are the uses of adversity; Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous; Wears yet a precious jewel in his head.'
Today people still believe that handling one or a toad will cause you to have warts.
In Australia the water-holding frog is used by aborigines as a source of water. Apparently when squeezed they produce quite a sizeable quantity of so-say pure water from their bladders!
In the western world however, they tend to find themselves used in the name of science and education - they are often dissected in the classroom/science laboratory and the most common type used is the Rana temporaria and the Rana pipiens. These specimens are not however used in the work of herpetology but instead in the coursework of students comparing anatomy and physiology of for example, the lizard and the rate.
Also today, they are widely accepted as a good food to eat, and are eaten in France as well as in Asia. In the West Indies, you could find yourself eating a Mountain Chicken frog.
So these creatures have been with us for many many centuries, and it would be so sad to lose them.
So what can YOU do to help in ensuring that they survive today?
The best thing that you can do is to first of all understand them, and then create a supportive environment in which they can live, breed and hibernate. This is so essential in the survival of this little creature - let's look at how we can help.
Create a pond
This is absolutely the best thing we can do in our endeavour to create a conducive and suitable environment.
Build a pond in your garden. Creating a pond isn't as difficult as it sounds, and can really add to your garden's 'look and feel'. Most of us are captivated by pond life - a pond creates an enchanted feeling and draws us into a different world whilst we are next to it. Everybody loves to be near the water and nature, and a garden with a pond is so appealing.
Build your pond in a shaded area preferably, with pond liner inside the pond (to keep the water in), with a few shallow edges for the tadpoles, and no fish.
Amphibians rely on a good network of ponds. The reason that they don't rely on one pond is that if one becomes damaged it can be recolonised quite fast. If there are frogs within 1000m, and the pond is suitable, they will
often come without any help from us - you will notice that your little amphibian-haven garden is gradually becoming home to families without any other help from you other than adding the pond in the first place.
Other ways of creating a suitable amphibian garden is by not keeping your garden too tidy! This is quite difficult for some people! But your efforts in keeping your garden on the 'wild side' will pay-off quickly as the amphibian population get to hear about it and thank you for it! They love the wilder type of garden, that has leaf piles, garden debris, rocks and logs.
This creates a shady, damp environment which is perfect for all amphibians!
Because all amphibians breathe partially - even totally - through their skin, they are extremely sensitive to toxic chemicals in the environment. Therefore, you should try to avoid using chemicals of any sort. There are usually other methods you can use to keep pests under control that are more natural and less harmful to garden wildlife.
Also another good thing about having these creatures in your garden, is that you won't need to use Slug pellets as they eat slugs! What a bonus!
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- american green tree frog, hyla cinerea, comes from south-eastern North America
- american green tree frog - this species originates in south-eastern North America
- titicaca frog, a very rare andean frog found only in lake titicaca
- the titicaca frog is found only in this particular lake and is considered rare
- pacman frogs, any member of the Ceratophryinae subfamily
- pacman frogs - any member of the subfamily Ceratophryinae
- Horror Frog, Trichobatrachus robustus, the frog that breaks its own bones
- The Horror Frog lives up to its name as its very gruesome behaviour in breaking its own bones to create claws, is a very rare phenomenon
- axolotl, ambystoma mexicanum,
- axolotl are able to grow back fingers, toes and even whole limbs within a short space of time
- panamanian golden frog has been declared extinct in the wild
- panamanian golden frog has been declared extinct in the wild by the BBC National History crew
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- frog reproduction cycles, when do frogs breed, lifecycle of frogs
- whites tree frog - a lovely calm good natured frog
- whites tree frog a lovely amphibian that enjoys being handled.
- african clawed frog - live in gentle streams and ponds
- african clawed frog. These frogs live in gentle streams and ponds
- frog live food, flies and crickets are popular and nutritious
- frog live food - frogs and other amphibians enjoy flies and crickets
- frog facts - the common frog, or grass frog, breathes through its skin
- frog facts - the common frog - or grass frog, hibernates for several months
- red eyed tree frog, beautiful and stunning frogs from central America
- red eyed tree frog, Agalychnis callidryas, beautiful brightly coloured frogs from central America
- blue poison arrow frog,
- blue poison arrow frog - an eyecatching species with its bright colouring
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- barking frog gets its names from its unusual mating cry
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- marbled reed frog, native to Africa, marbled appearance
- marbled reed frog, an attractive lively frog with a marbled appearance
- leopard frog - also known as meadow frog and cow frog
- leopard frog, latin name rana pipiens, is also known as the meadow frog or cow frog
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- frog eye salad recipe - delicious and tasty and not really frog eyes!
- search results
- frog-garden search results
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- leap frog puzzle, test your jigsaw skills here
- Frog Garden Free Games to play with frogs, have fun playing here
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- Lake Titicaca is the highest lake in the world at 4000 metres above sea level
- lake titicaca is situated between Bolivia and Peru and is home to a rare breed of frog
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- Haiti frogs have been rediscovered on the deforest haiti hillsides
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- Frog-garden disclaimer page
- frog-garden-mission-statement. How frog-garden.com came to be
- frog-garden-mission-statement : To inform my visitors of why frog-garden is keen to attempt to preserve and protect the frog and toad population
- mountain chicken frog, Leptodactylus fallax, chicken frog, what do frogs eat
- mountain chicken frog population devastated by killer fungal disease
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