Terrrence, the original Toad in the Hole.

This beautiful old toad has been with us for about 10 years. (He thinks 3r's is posh and being Welsh rolls the r's) He lives in a disused waste water pipe and emerges from the hole where our washing machine used to discharge into the drainage system. He is now out of hibernation and is feeding on the slugs which come for the left over cat food we put out at night. Toads also feed on flying ants, spiders and worms but it is their love of slugs that has earned them the name, 'gardener's friend'.

They are solitary creatures and after mating go their own ways. Femails deposit eggs in a nearby watercourse and tadpoles hatch after about 10 days, the process of metamorphosis into toadlets taking about 2 months. Toads can live up to 40 years.                                                                                                                                                      

I found this slow worm (Anguis fragilis) under a slab at a stand pipe in the touring field. It has been hibernating there and has emerged in the early April sun.

The 'fragilis' part of the name comes from a readiness to shed it's tail when threatened or handled roughly. Neither slow, nor a worm, it is in fact a legless lizard of about 30-45cms in length and can live up to 30 years.

Unlike snakes the slow worm has no distinct head, has eyelids and visible ears and a notched rather than forked tongue. Out of hibernation, it is ready to mate and 6-12 young will be born mid August-mid September.