Agile Frog - Rana dalmatina

The Agile Frog Rana dalmatina may be encountered from time to time in fields and woodland clearings in the spring and summer. For an excellent species account, see HerpFrance.com, including key features for identification and a recording of the call. It is nowhere near as common as the Green Frog Pelophylax spp group, but seems to be more common that the Common Frog Rana temporaria, which isn't common at all in this area.

In French they are called la Grenouille agile. Like all amphibians here, it is a protected species.

Agile Frog photographed in a field the Brenne, April.

In the rain, on the former estate of the Chateau des Ormes.

This poor frog had fallen through a light well into the cellar of a chateau and was trapped. It was emaciated but rescued and put outside, February 2016.

Agile Frogspawn on mossy logs on the ground, near a pond in the forest, but not in it. The weather had been extremely wet, so perhaps the frog was confused.

Agile Frog spawn on a log in the forest, near a pond, but not in the water. The weather had been extremely wet, so maybe the frog got confused.

Asp Viper Vipera aspis

Scientific Name: Vipera aspis (Viperidae). 'Aspis' = 'viper'.

English Name: Asp Viper; Asp; European Asp; Aspic Viper; European Viper; Jura Viper (Viper family).

French Name: Vipère aspic.

5 Key Characters:

• venomous (the only effectively venomous snake in the area, very painful bite).
• adults generally around 60 cm (can be as long as 85 cm).
• broad triangular head, clearly distinct from body.
• tip of snout slightly upturned and pupils vertical slits.
• very variable markings along the back, rarely a clear zigzag pattern.

Lookalikes: Adder V. berus, which has a clear zigzag pattern along the back, but is extinct in the Touraine. Viperine Snake Natrix maura, which will try to pretend it is a viper but is really a type of grass snake, not venomous, generally a bit longer and more slender, more likely to be in or near water, has round pupils.

Habitat: Warm sunny areas, dry soils, vegetation that is upright and not too tangled. Favours limestone slopes and places with some vegetative cover. Woodland or scrubland clearings or edges.

If You Are Bitten: Stay calm; photograph the snake if you can so it can be identified; get help immediately from someone who can take you to Urgences (Accident and Emergency) at the nearest hospital. The European emergency number is 112. The bite will swell, discolour and hurt like hell. Your vision may be affected. However, no adult human has died of snakebite in France for several decades, and bites from this species are rarely fatal (4% of cases), even if untreated.

Status: Protected. Uncommon but population probably stable.

Photographed by Loire Valley Nature:

Green Frog Group - Pelophylax spp

The Green Frog Group are three related and interbreeding species:

Edible Frog Pelophylax kl. esculentus (la Grenouille verte).
Pool Frog Pelophylax lessonae (la Grenouille de Lessona).
Marsh Frog Pelophylax ridibundus (la Grenouille rieuse).

For photos of Green Frogs taken by Loire Valley Nature in the Foret de Preuilly, see our other blog Days on the Claise.

Look out for frogspawn in still and slow moving water in March.

Frogspawn in a ditch in Preuilly in March.

Frogspawn.

1 - 2 typical Green Frog, May.

Great Crested Newt Triturus cristatus

Scientific Name: Triturus cristatus (Salamandridae).

English Name: Great Crested Newt; Northern Crested Newt; Warty Newt (Salamander family).

French Name: Triton crêté (='crested triton'); Triton à crête (='triton with crest').

5 Key Characters:

• large (up to 18 cm long).
• males have a serrated crest along their back during the breeding season (spring).
• largely aquatic in spring and summer, terrestrial in autumn and winter.
• black or dark brown.
• warty.

Lookalikes:

Habitat: Large deep sunny ponds with lots of vegetation. They don't tolerate the presence of fish.

Active Period: Nocturnal. Females lay their eggs in spring, individually on the leaves of submerged aquatic vegetation, carefully folding the leaf over to protect the egg (looking for submerged leaves of plants such as water forget-me-not that have had their tip folded over is a very good way to determine if you have newts present or not).

Status: Protected. It is an offence to kill, injure, capture, disturb or sell the species or to damage or destroy their habitat (this applies to all stages of their life cycle). Very sensitive to pollution and changes in their environment. Has become increasingly rare over the past 30 years, due to agricultural consolidation, lowland urbanisation, road building, water pollution, the lowering of the water table, as well as the filling in of ponds and the creation of artificial ponds for fishing. Populations are often unsuccessfully relocated as a result of environmental mitigation programmes associated with development projects. The protesters against the proposed new Nantes airport have adopted the species as their emblem, because it occupies the threatened traditional bocage pasture and its associated steep grassy banks and stock watering places.

Photographed by Loire Valley Nature:

A Great Crested Newt that has fallen into a cellar and become trapped. It is emaciated due to lack of food.

The trapped newt turned over to show its orange belly. It is being handled by someone with a licence to do so (and anyway, in this situation where the newt is in danger, you can rescue them without breaking the law, so long as you release them in a suitable place as soon as possible). There is an Agile Frog in the background, also trapped.

Rural Tracks

Throughout France there is a network of variously named public rights of way. One of the most frequently encountered by walkers is the chemin rural (plural chemins ruraux). These are (usually) unpaved tracks owned and maintained by the local commune. They are almost always ancient laneways, winding through farms and today used by walkers, horse riders, hunters and farmers. Sometimes they are unmarked, but usually they have a small sign at either end with the letter R, C or V and an a number to identify them. They also frequently have the standardised walking trail symbols posted along them and appear on maps as part of the national hiking trail (randonnée) network. Even when they appear to be private farm tracks, the public is permitted to walk them. Walking them in all seasons is a great way to get to know the wildlife of this area, as they are usually long thin grasslands bordered by hedges, woodland or agricultural land, and sometimes even aquatic habitats such as streams, ditches, springs and ponds. You are unlikely to meet another person on most of them.

A chemin rural near Yzeures sur Creuse, October.

A chemin rural near Yzeures sur Creuse, October.

A notice issued by the local authority who has responsibility for maintaining this chemin rural, stapled to a trackside tree. It says that motorised vehicles are not permitted on this track between October and May ie the months when it is likely to be wet. The commune very sensibly does not want the track churned up and ruined by hunters' vans or farm machinery.

Bird watching in the Brenne down a track near la Maison du Parc.

Bird watching in the Brenne, near l'Etang vieux. This track had a sign temporarily banning agricultural vehicles because it was flooded, however that didn't stop anyone on foot who was prepared to take off their boots and slosh.

The sign on this track in the Brenne says 'Attention. Track under repair. Do not tow vehicles down it.' There was no problem (apart from ankle deep water) in walking down it.

A track through the bocage country along the River Vienne near Chinon.

A track through arable crop land and forest. This is one of my butterfly transects.

Gardens

Gardens are increasingly important as habitat, particularly when a string of gardens join together, effectively becoming a single site. With the increasing loss of natural habitats, man made spaces such as gardens can provide a haven for birds, mammals, insects, reptiles and amphibians. A few simple features in your garden can benefit wildlife, and produce rewards in terms of increased biodiversity for very little effort .

A Compost Heap:

A compost heap provides habitat for the larval stages of insects (eg certain species of Soldier Fly Stratiomyidae, Rose Chafers Cetonia aurata); nesting sites for reptiles (eg Western Whip Snake Hierophis viridiflavus); and a source of nutrients for fungal mycorrhiza. The flies, beetles and fungi are all acting to break down the organic matter in the compost heap so you can recycle the nutrients back into the garden soil. The snake is simply using the heat, humidity and protection of a pile of rotting plant material as a safe and comfortable nest and hibernacle. Non-venomous snakes such as this are no threat to your safety in the garden and will help keep down the population of nut, vegetable and root munching small rodents (such as voles and mice).

A 'Wild Flower' Meadow:

This 'wild' flower meadow is at la Chatonniere. A mixture of native and non-native seeds are sown in conjunction with a cereal crop such as oats to form a flowery meadow in the summer.

The flowers include Field Poppies, Californian Poppies (not native), Annual Cornflowers and Viper's Bugloss. The choice of flowers is partly aesthetic, but also to encourage biodiversity in this organic garden.

The flowers attract pollinators and the undisturbed long vegetation allows bumble bees to nest safely. Many small creatures will be attracted to the unmown, untreated site.

Safety features:

A stick placed in a water butt allows small creatures that fall in to exit. With no easy to grip 'escape ladder' lizards for example, which often find themselves in the water butt, will get too cold to pull themselves up the plastic sides and will drown. It is a good idea to also place a square of polystyrene as a float that creatures can clamber up onto rather than have to swim and exhaust themselves.

Areas of Semi-Natural Grassland:
If your garden is large enough, or includes an area such as an orchard, one of the easiest ways of managing parts of it are as semi-natural grassland ie native grass rather than lawn, with self seeded wildflowers. It differs from the 'Wildflower Meadow' above because there is no need to augment the plants by sowing extra seed. This type of grass requires mowing just once a year, in September. By this time in the season all the wildflowers will have set seed, and what is left to mow won't be too lush. You can safely leave the mown 'grass' on the ground and it will not increase the fertility of the soil. The system saves a lot of time and effort. You keep woody species (eg self seeded trees) under control and prevent scrub developing because you cut them off annually, and you prevent many weed species (eg nettles) from dominating as the soil remains low in fertility. If you wish you can mow paths through the grass throughout the year, but you must take the clippings away. It is a good idea to stake plants that you particularly wish to protect from being stood on or mowed over in the spring and summer.

If you want to put a bit more work in to maintaining the natural grass and wildflowers and have the time, you can choose to rake up the mown grass rather than leave it lie. The resulting 'hay' can be deposited around fruit trees. The action of raking will lift matted vegetation, reduce soil fertility and create random bare areas for wild flower seeds to germinate and thrive with less competition from the grass. You can also grub out the woody 'volunteers' if you are feeling strong and energetic. It will prevent them coppicing from repeated cutting and annual growth cycles and forming trip hazards or eventually getting too thick for the mower to cope with.

You will be amazed at the variety of wildflowers that will spontaneous appear. With the wildflowers will come bees, butterflies and flower visiting beetles. Dragonflies will appreciate the longer vegetation, as will small mammals and reptiles. Having an area of semi-natural grassland is probably the single easiest and most effective way of increasing and maintaining the biodiversity of your garden.

Our orchard is mowed in the autumn, and by December orchid leaf rosettes are easily visible. They are staked to prevent people accidently standing on them or being mowed over when spring paths are created. The stakes are trimmed prunings from the fruit trees.

An  orchid leaf rosette amongst the grass and other wildflowers in the winter, carefully staked so as to mark its position and protect it from being trodden on or mowed over.

A Brash Pile:

If you have the room, a pile of brash (hedge clippings, fruit tree prunings) makes a great shelter for medium sized mammals such as hedgehogs, as well as reptiles (especially snakes) and amphibians (especially newts). The brash is all the vegetative matter that is too big or woody to compost. You may wish to burn it in the winter, but if you do so, make sure you take material off the pile and make a bonfire in a separate place on the day you plan to burn. Don't burn all of the material at once. By building a new pile for burning and not using all the material you ensure that you don't inadvertently kill creatures living under the pile.

Insect Hotels:

Insect hotels provide nesting sites for solitary bees and wasps, hibernation and resting sites for other insects, sanctuary for amphibians and reptiles. They can be made from old pallets and stocked with a range of dry grass, bamboo of different dimensions, wooden blocks with drilled holes of different dimensions, sticks and twigs, stones and terracotta shards, moss. Give it a roof with eaves to protect the entrances to holes from the weather. Place it is a sunny position facing south or east.

Western Whip Snake Hierophis viridiflavus

Scientific Name: Hierophis viridiflavus (syn. Coluber viridiflavus). The name means 'yellow-green sacred snake'.


English Name: Western Whip Snake. Also Dark Green Whip Snake; Green Whip Snake.


French Name: La Couleuvre verte et jaune (='the green and yellow grass snake'). Also la Cinglard.

5 Key Characters:

• yellow body with heavy black markings above, giving the impression of black flecked with yellow (juveniles grey-brown, with varying amounts of yellow flecking).
• average length about 1 m (juveniles emerge 20-30 cm), can grow to 1.75 m.
• round pupils.
• fast and agile, climbing easily or vanishing into the undergrowth as soon as they spot you, not usually agressive but when cornered will put on a fine show of hissing and striking.
• non-venomous but can deliver a painful bite and will produce a foul smelling excretion from the cloaca if handled.
  

Lookalikes: Juveniles could be mistaken for small Grass Snakes Natrix natrix.


Habitat: Eats mainly lizards and rodents. Also other small mammals, other snakes, frogs, baby birds. They prefer the edges of woods or dry sunny rocky places, but can be found in pasture, gardens, urban areas, dry scrub, arable land, riverbanks and plantations. The Loire River is more or less the northern limit of its range.


Active Period: Females lay eggs from late spring to the end of July in piles of hay or rotting wood. The young hatch in August. Hibernates from October to April, often in groups, in rock crevices or mammal burrows. Can live 20 years, mature at 4 years.


Status: Very common, with a stable population. Often seen as roadkill. Often killed because people believe it is venomous and despite the fact that it is a protected species. It is also illegal to disturb nests or hibernation sites.


Photographed by Loire Valley Nature:

A mature snake found under a sheet of corrugated iron which is used to provide shelter for voles in our orchard.

Marc Fleury pointing out the round pupil to a group on a botany outing.

Close up of the head.

The cloaca and tail / body junction.

Close up of the pattern on a mature snake.

Close up of the pattern on a mature snake. The yellow forms distinct longitudinal lines on the tail, but is more random on the body.

Sleeping in the sun, well hidden on a patch of bare earth surrounded by tall grass in our orchard. This is a typical snake sunbathing spot, not easily seen until you are right upon it. Normally the snake will hear you and disappear long before you are near enough to see the hidden patch.