Sizergh Castle A lovely spring day in the gardens about Sizergh Castle. Daffodils are resplendent, chiffchaff are calling. Charlie the cat comes to greet us and seeks a lap to rest on. All is peaceful. We look for frogspawn and kingfisher and do not find them. There are kingcups and bull-rush and the ground is strewn with willow catkins in the season of tree-flowers. In a long dry spell I think some flora is held back, waiting for refreshing rain. Wandering the shore of the lake below the castle, we look for frogspawn in the shallows, amongst fallen leaves and the fronds of aquatic plants.
The day is calm and still, with a flurry of ripples sometimes disturbing reflections in the lake. My friend spies a clot of frogspawn close to the bank and the hunt is on for more. Sometimes, I think of myself as an interpreter of the scene and today's cache of images sets me seeking to disentangle a seething mass of frogs rising from green weed, then diving down into the murk. We're so intent on watching the frogs mating that other visitors come to see what we're watching. 'That looks fun,' someone says. It's fascinating to observe frog frolics from the safety of the shore but down in the depths it's brutal.
On St Crispin's Day 1415 Sir Thomas Strickland, castellan of Sizergh, led 25 long-bow men against the French at Agincourt. He brought them all home safely. But think what those archers must have witnessed on the battlefield, and in the aftermath. A haunting scene.
I share images of today but the videos I made are clearer and far more graphic. It's a sprawl of interwoven bodies, limbs flailing. Disembodied eyes peer out. Some frogs seem intent on fleeing the mayhem, others seek to join in. The water is murky with fallen winter leaves, fronds of weed, and a confusion of frog anatomy. Still images taken through water look ghostly, an underworld of grey-green. I think of frescoes by Luca SIgnorelli in the duomo of Orvieto. His Last Judgment (1499-1503) shows the damned with horror in their eyes and flailing limbs. By tradition, they're painted grey-green and they writhe in torment.
Watching mating frogs is compelling. But a closer look shows how competitive and aggressive it is. Not a sound of this frog-assault is audible. Only the notes of chiffchaff accompany the scene. Close to the shore, volunteers are working to keep the gardens immaculate. A young woman tells me that there are frogs everywhere in the rockery where they often encounter them.
On St Crispin's Day 1415 Sir Thomas Strickland, castellan of Sizergh, led 25 long-bow men against the French at Agincourt. He brought them all home safely. But think what those archers must have witnessed on the battlefield, and in the aftermath. A haunting scene.
I share images of today but the videos I made are clearer and far more graphic. It's a sprawl of interwoven bodies, limbs flailing. Disembodied eyes peer out. Some frogs seem intent on fleeing the mayhem, others seek to join in. The water is murky with fallen winter leaves, fronds of weed, and a confusion of frog anatomy. Still images taken through water look ghostly, an underworld of grey-green. I think of frescoes by Luca SIgnorelli in the duomo of Orvieto. His Last Judgment (1499-1503) shows the damned with horror in their eyes and flailing limbs. By tradition, they're painted grey-green and they writhe in torment.
Watching mating frogs is compelling. But a closer look shows how competitive and aggressive it is. Not a sound of this frog-assault is audible. Only the notes of chiffchaff accompany the scene. Close to the shore, volunteers are working to keep the gardens immaculate. A young woman tells me that there are frogs everywhere in the rockery where they often encounter them.
I9th March 2022 we saw frogs in amplexus heading for a lake at Sizergh Castle.
cumbrianaturally.co.uk
https://www.cumbrianaturally.co.uk › blog › sizergh-in-spring
This time we found frogs in the other lake, directly below the castle facade. The male common frog grasps the female with his nuptial pads and rides on her back, claiming his mate. But today we saw clusters of male frogs in a melee and when the female spawns several males might fertilise her eggs. When laid, they sink to the bottom and rise to the surface as the gelatinous mass develops - which explains why we could not see her spawning. The Woodland Trust is helpful on frog facts.
Woodland Trust
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk › ... › rep…
It was an exciting morning and frogs are not as common as they once were- due to habitat loss, small ponds being lost, pollution etc. It isn't easy to make out frogs in my images- partly because they're taken through water but also because of frog cryptic colouring and an ability to camouflage and protect themselves from predation.
cumbrianaturally.co.uk
https://www.cumbrianaturally.co.uk › blog › sizergh-in-spring
cumbrianaturally.co.uk
https://www.cumbrianaturally.co.uk › blog › sizergh-in-spring
This time we found frogs in the other lake, directly below the castle facade. The male common frog grasps the female with his nuptial pads and rides on her back, claiming his mate. But today we saw clusters of male frogs in a melee and when the female spawns several males might fertilise her eggs. When laid, they sink to the bottom and rise to the surface as the gelatinous mass develops - which explains why we could not see her spawning. The Woodland Trust is helpful on frog facts.
Woodland Trust
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk › ... › rep…
It was an exciting morning and frogs are not as common as they once were- due to habitat loss, small ponds being lost, pollution etc. It isn't easy to make out frogs in my images- partly because they're taken through water but also because of frog cryptic colouring and an ability to camouflage and protect themselves from predation.
cumbrianaturally.co.uk
https://www.cumbrianaturally.co.uk › blog › sizergh-in-spring
Left of centre, this image shows a bright clot of frogspawn with the ghostly shapes of ochre-coloured frogs, one trailing a long hind-leg. This sole image is strange but I find it elusive and beautiful. Many clots of frogspawn appear flecked with the black dots of eggs in the gelatinous mass.
Below, a sequence of images whose aesthetic I like. Concluding with lichen on a stone wall above the lake. A lichen pattern that resembles frogspawn.
Below, a sequence of images whose aesthetic I like. Concluding with lichen on a stone wall above the lake. A lichen pattern that resembles frogspawn.
RSS Feed