Don’t tell Mr Toad to hop it
WE have a lovely new trail celebrating the classic novel Wind In The Willows at our Brockholes nature reserve.
If you follow this trail you can meet wooden sculptures of Ratty, Mole, Badger and Mr Toad – the latter is my favourite.
His model is in a really good position on the edge of the willow woodland and overlooking the car park, welcoming people to the reserve, near Preston.
I have had my own Mr Toad in my tiny garden over the last few years. Of course I am always delighted to see him because he chomps on some of my garden pests and lives in a pile of stones next to one of the flowerbeds.
I don’t see a lot of him or her these days as the dog is a bit territorial, particularly with starlings and the resident wood pigeon.
It is not surprising to see a toad in your garden as they spend much of their life on dry land after breeding in ponds in spring.
They may make an appearance in woods, hedgerows and tussocky grassland but they can be found in many gardens.
As winter turns to spring they take part in mass migrations back to breeding ponds.
This will generally take place on the first warm and damp evening of the year.
They will tend to wander along the same path they arrived on.
You may also see lots of tiny toads on paths in June and July.
These are the hatchlings heading, in their thousands, away from the breeding ponds to safe havens.
Unlike the frog, the toad will walk rather than hop, as it has shorter back legs.
A toad is normally more thickset than its amphibian cousin and has olive brown, warty skin.
I spent some time working in Bermuda where they have cane toads. These monsters, around nine inches long and weighing up to three pounds, are also known as ‘road toads’ because you see lots of them squashed on the road.
Of course, this is no different to our toads, as many are killed crossing roads as they head to breeding sites. Roads are a bit of a pain for many of our creatures. Wherever you can, help a toad to cross the road.
Despite Mr Toad’s naughty behaviour in The Wind in the Willows, toads really are our friends - eating slugs and other pests – so let’s try to keep them safe.
The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside is dedicated to the protection and promotion of wildlife. To become a member of the Trust go to www. lancswt.org.uk or call 01772 324129.
For more information about Cheshire Wildlife Trust call 01948 820728 or go to cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk.