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Just days before his successful triple bypass surgery at Papworth Hospital, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin stand at the overflowing lake at High Ash Farm, where a sodden winter has triggered one of nature’s most spectacular annual events. Hundreds of frogs and toads have emerged from hibernation in a single night, laying millions of eggs: the frogs producing huge glistening rafts of “tapioca pudding” spawn, while the common toads create long, double-rowed ribbons resembling delicate strings of pearls stretching metres across the water. Chris explains the frantic amplexus mating ritual, how the spawn sinks then floats, the tadpole lifecycle, and the low survival odds against herons, otters and dragonfly larvae. A gentle ramble reveals a young roe buck close by and, in the overwinter wild bird seed mix field, “Mad March hares” hunkered in their forms before lolloping away, accompanied by rising skylarks, flocks of linnets, corn buntings and a hovering kestrel. Listener warmth flows in: toad rescues in Kent, bumblebees diving into daffodils, clever robins learning from tit feeders, and messages of support during Chris’s recovery. This episode captures spring’s dramatic, slippery rebirth in all its watery glory, ideal for celebrating nature’s determined renewal after winter’s long wait.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2432378/episodes/18880984-episode-2-64-spawn-surge-and-mad-march-hares.mp3?download=true

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