According to the Freshwater Habitats Trust, frogs and other amphibians are among the wildlife at risk from a perfect storm of climate change, our continuing reliance on burning fossil fuels, poor planning and land management, and now - even - leaving the EU.
Looking at the state of some of Hedge End's ponds, it is not clear that our Lib Dem and Tory councils put much priority on maintaining our freshwater habitats. Let us hope that the much delayed local plan the Lib Dems promise for later this year will have some protection for those green spaces that remain, and is not just a blueprint for more housing and out of town shopping malls.
Meanwhile, if you see frogspawn in your garden or in one of Hedge End's parks or other open spaces, you can record it in the Freshwater Habitats Trust national survey.
