Forest heath oasis

Even with the forest as arid as it is, and it is, even when the streams have stopped flowing, which they have, you can still find watery oasis if you know where to look. Walking with a hound, particularly a thick coated one, you build up a mental map of watering points, here in the forest it's usually the springs that emerge in the boggy hollows; if I'm out in a rural setting, such Purbeck or Cranborne, it's knowing where all the water troughs are.

Spawn

The frogs appear to be going for it this year, there's spawn in every conceivable wet place. Maybe it's a take over bid? Maybe not. I fear though that their spawning may have been a bit previous, this spawn in the wetland adjacent to Silver Stream at Rhinefield was exposed to last nights frost, and observations over the years suggest that this is, or can be, a bad thing. That said, if the frosts don't continue for too long, I'd imagine the frogs have spawned enough to ensure plenty survive to tadpolehood. Time will tell.