AS we come out of a mild winter and get ever closer to the joys of spring, we see wildlife beginning its new year.

This is probably at its most visible on some of the wetland reserves in the district, such as Blakemarsh nature reserve, where frogs have turned up in their thousands to spawn in the shallow pools.

The writhing mass of frogs leaves a sea of gelatinous eggs.

The eggs hatch between six and 21 days after being laid, depending on the conditions of the water and the weather.

On hatching, the tadpoles are very fragile and have poorly developed gills and mouths. They attach themselves to floating weed or grasses using a specially developed organ between their mouth and stomach area.

It takes a further seven to 10 days for the tadpole to begin feeding on algae.

After four weeks, their gills have started to diminish and they grow tiny teeth to help grate down their food to a suitable form.

At this stage, it is possible to see the tadpoles forming small groups and interacting in the same manner as a school of fish.

They start to grow legs at around six weeks and after nine weeks they look more like minute frogs with a long tail.

It takes another three weeks before the tadpoles have become froglets, and their tails have become small and stubby.

By 16 weeks the young frog has completed its growth cycle and is ready to leave its pool and begin its journey, one which could last for up to 15 years in some species.

There are however other amazing facts to be known about these wondrous amphibians, little pieces of information which prove to be as interesting as their change from tadpole to frog.

Frogs have a strange way of eating. They generally use their sticky tongues to catch their prey and bring it into their mouths but then they close their eyes.

The eyes actually get retracted back into the head and the pressure this exerts pushes the frog's meal down its throat.

Frogs are not known as animals which bite, but they do have teeth. The teeth they have are used to hold the prey in place before they can swallow it.

All of this can be seen over the next few months on most of the marshland reserves and even occurs in many fish ponds, and it is this closeness to nature which allows us to see the wonders of the frogs metamorphosis.

Frogs are amazing animals and deserve a thought or two as we go about our lives, so next time you walk past a pool and see the masses of spawn, take a moment to think about these creatures and the life they lead.