Do you have a pond, and if so have you checked it recently to see if you have any frog or toad spawn yet? Frog spawn can sometimes be seen before Christmas but March is the normal time for frogs and toads to start spawning, and they can often be seen crossing the roads at dusk as toads in particular are very particular about where they breed and often migrate back to their ancestral breeding ponds each year.

To help the toads cross the roads to get to their ponds, the Toads on Roads project by Froglife registers these sites as ‘migratory crossings’ and helps coordinate local Toad Patrols. There are several across Bedfordshire and you may see signs like this one in Heath and Reach. Then when conditions are right, you can see people in the evening on Toad Patrol wearing bright yellow jackets by the side of the road carrying buckets ready to help toads cross the road.

And don’t worry they help frogs across too.