What do frogs do in winter?

What you need:

• garden
• compost
• Stones
• pond

In winter, frogs severely limit their own activity, but never let it sink completely to zero.

In winter in the garden pond

• Water, pond and garden frogs often spend the winter in the water. Most of the time they do not spend in the water itself, but make themselves comfortable in the bottom sludge that settles down in the pond. Since the animals then reduce their activity very much, they are completely sufficient with the oxygen contained in the water.
• As long as the frogs lie quietly in the mud, it is sufficient for them to breathe through their skin. The plants that settle in the water produce sufficient oxygen for the animals. However, once they become active, they need to surface for fresh air. However, if the garden pond is thickly frozen, this can have dire consequences for the animals.

Frogs that hibernate on land

• If the frogs stay on land in winter, they look for suitable hiding places where they can hang out. They find refuge in small crevices in the rock, in caves and piles of leaves, but also in cracks in walls or mouse holes they prepare for the cold season.
• As in the pond, the animals adapt to the outside temperature. They can withstand temperatures just above zero. But as soon as there is a longer period of frost, they freeze to death. If you want to help the animals in winter, the garden offers many possibilities.


Frozen pond - fish hibernate like this

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Make shelter in home gardens

• Even before the frost, you can prepare parts of the garden so that the frogs can overwinter there. Make a big pile of leaves and leaves and add some compost.
• The animals find shelter here and, at the low temperatures, can also benefit from the fact that the compost heap gives off heat. But the animals can also look for stones stacked on top of a pile that offer enough cracks and loopholes.
• If you have a pond, it should be at least 50 centimeters deep. Depths of 80 centimeters or more are better if the frogs want to hibernate there. Aquatic plants in the pond are also important because they generate sufficient oxygen during the cold season so that the animals can survive on the pond floor.