Hop to it - get counting frogs in Kildare

At the end of this week Ireland will celebrate World Wetlands Day 2025. Wetlands are areas where the water table is at, or near the surface of the land, or where the land is covered by water.

Wetlands originally covered 1/5 of the island of Ireland. Five major wetland types are generally recognised: marine (coastal wetlands including coastal lagoons, rocky shores, and coral reefs); estuarine (including deltas, tidal marshes, and mangrove swamps); lacustrine (wetlands associated with lakes); riverine (wetlands along rivers and streams); and palustrine (meaning “marshy” — marshes, swamps and bogs).

Check out more Kildare stories by clicking here

Ecosystem services are the benefits we get from nature. Wetlands support biodiversity, 40% of all species live or breed in wetlands. They store 30% of land based carbon, vital for climate change mitigation, they remove pollutants from circulation, they provide protection from flooding and storms, they absorb and store water, they provide employment, food and energy and they are places for recreation, culture and leisure.

The Irish Peatland Conservation Council use World Wetlands Day to launch our annual Hop To It Frog survey.
On going since 1997, this is Ireland’s longest running frog survey. It asks members of the public to submit their observation of any stage of the frog lifecycle.

Ireland has one native common frog (Loscann as Gaeilge). Being an amphibian needing water to complete its lifecycle, it is one of the many wildlife species that depend on wetlands for their survival.

They are easily recognised, having strong hind legs for jumping and swimming, a long sticky tongue for catching their prey.
While they have lungs for breathing on land, their skin is also used for breathing when they are underwater.
The colourful pattern of the frogs skin helps to disguise them from predators.

They can also change their skin colour from browns, greens and yellow/oranges to also help them to camouflage from predators.

This week I am asking you to send the IPCC your observations of frog spawn, tadpoles, froglets or adult frogs that you observe in your community by visiting www.ipcc.ie.

If you would like help identifying a wildlife observation in your community you can contact me on bogs@ipcc.ie

- Nuala Madigan from the Bog of Allen Nature Centre, Lullymore