Frogs' hotel opens – but where's the bellhop?

Published on Tuesday 3 March 2009 21:11

SCOTLAND'S first hotel for frogs has been built, to help stop the amphibians croaking as predators strike.

Frogs are particularly vulnerable at this time of year, when they gather at ponds to mate.

So volunteers at Redhall Walled Garden in Edinburgh have built a special shelter for the creatures, where they can hide from attack from birds and other predators.

Its doors opened yesterday at the launch of a national campaign encouraging hundreds of community groups to come up with similar ways to help their local environment.

As well as frog hotels, it is expected groups will come up with ideas for "bat boudoirs" using bat boxes, plus bee havens, butterfly gardens and other imaginative ways to help wildlife in their local area.

The Action Earth campaign was launched by Community Service Volunteers (CSV) yesterday at the walled garden in Edinburgh – which is a facility for people recovering from mental health problems.

Frogs are encouraged to hop through a drain pipe into the three-storey hotel, made from bits of wood from the nearby area.

An underground vault has been lined with rotting wood, to turn it into what the volunteers are calling a "compost caf", where bugs gather and can be munched on by the frogs.

It is hoped they will then climb a ramp inside the hotel to make use of a drier upper tier where they can relax in peace, away from predators.

The slate roof on the structure, which looks similar to a beehive and can house about 20 frogs, is removable, to let visitors to the garden have a peek at the amphibian hotel guests.

Robert Henderson, Scottish co-ordinator of the CSV campaign, said: "It's an amusing way of presenting something that is really fairly serious.

"It's to provide protection for the frogs that congregate around the pond when they come out of hibernation for the mating season."

He added: "We are trying to encourage people to look at ways of helping their own biodiversity."

Mr Henderson highlighted that frogs have suffered habitat loss, particularly as home owners have landscaped their gardens to tidy up and remove areas of rotting vegetation favoured by the amphibians.

He added: "Frogs are very good for gardens because they eat things that are less beneficial, like slugs."

He encouraged other people to try building frog hotels, but warned that the amphibians should never be introduced into an area.

It is illegal to remove them from one habitat and release them in another.

The shelters should be built in order to attract frogs to an area, or to protect those that are there, Mr Henderson said.

CSV has teamed up with Morrisons supermarket for the campaign. The supermarket will be giving 900 cash grants of 50 to local projects to help the environment – 200 will be given to groups in Scotland.

In addition, Scottish Natural Heritage will be doling out 75 grants of 250.

The hope is that the campaign, which runs until 31 July, will get thousands of volunteers across the country taking action to protect the environment.

Mike Williams, of CSV, said: "Our Action Earth campaign is all about getting communities engaged in making Britain green. It's the small changes that involve volunteers which can make a real difference and make a huge contribution to building strong communities."

In 2008 more than 18,000 volunteers took part in Action Earth. Projects included planting and recycling trees, clearing silt and rubbish from waterways, replanting hedgerows, orchard planting, path laying, making bird tables and nesting boxes, coppicing, and creating outdoor learning environments.

Keith Lightbody from Morrisons said: "Morrisons is keen to support projects like Redhall Walled Garden in protecting their environment today for the benefit of tomorrow.

"When you get the whole community working towards the same goal, you can really make a difference."