Pair of frogs in courting amplex (mating embrace)
making there way to a nearby pond for spawning
A light green frog in a filling pond note the
colour range in this and the pair on the left.
A juvenile frog, probably from
last years spawning.These hang
around in the pond and surrounding
areas until they are old enough to breed
Frogspawn a common sight in many
garden ponds in the spring.
Toads are much maligned creatures,
but there kind of cute when you look
at them, they have golden eyes and a
comical expression.Both frogs and toads
are great at eating up snails,slugs and
other garden pests.
A male smooth (or common)newt
in full breeding colours
A group of juvenile smooth newts,
the juveniles spend time away from
the pond under rocks and logs until
they are mature
.
A female smooth newt from the
same pond as the above male
The male palmte newt is not as
gaudy in its breeding colours as
the smooth newt.It has delicate
creamy cheeks with dark 
speckles and a lower crest. The
palmate newt has a long filament
on the end of its tail.Preffering
shallower ponds and more acid
soil the palmate and the smooth
newts rarely coexist,though they
are similar in most other ways
including diet and lifecycle.
The female Palmate is difficult to tell from
the female smooth newt, it has more speckled
cheeks and a plain chin
A waterboatman,these bugs hang just below the water surface waiting to catch drowning insects from above and small fish and other animals from below.This bugs saliva is toxic and a bite from one is quite painfull.