Nature can teach us many things: to take things slow or to give yourself time to grow. I have learned many life lessons from nature and most of them have been from the common toad. The UK is home to seven species of amphibian. While the rare natterjack toad and extravagant great crested newt are interesting species, it is the humble common toad that holds the title of my favourite animal.
As a youngster, after being disappointed that dinosaurs were indeed extinct, I decided to settle for the next best thing: lizards and toads. While other young budding naturalists were looking into binoculars at birds or pressing flowers, I was looking down at the ground. Gently lifting rocks and logs, and staring intently at ponds looking for the movement of tadpoles. Finding a toad under a log with its typical ‘grumpy’ looking face was always the best reward. I sometimes think that if common frogs had been easier to catch they might have been my favourite animal, but having shorter legs and being more round made common toads the easier one to catch.
