A member of Radnorshire Wildlife Trust (RWT) was horrified to find 300 dead frogs round the edge of her pond recently. It followed the thaw of the ice and snow that had been covering the pond for several weeks.
A RWT spokesperson said: “Garden ponds are a very valuable resource for all sorts of wildlife, and frogs often over-winter in the bottom.
“It is not clear exactly why this tragic event happened, but it is likely that for some reason the levels of oxygen were depleted and the frogs couldn’t breathe.
“This may be because of the snow sitting on the ice for so long and blocking out the light, or because of the great number of frogs living in this small pond.
“In a well vegetated pond, submerged water plants continue to oxygenate under the ice and levels can build up to a higher level than normal, which means life can go on.
“It would be a good idea to brush any snow off the ice where it is easily reached but generally there is no need to break it – though the birds would probably appreciate a bath!”
Luckily, frogs in the other two ponds on the Wildlife Trust member’s land survived the big freeze.