New Lynn Road pond aims to attract local frog population

Thomas Lyons

“This was originally initiated by the two schools behind you there,” Cllr Bill Collentine says gesturing to Gaelscoil An Choillín and Saplings School Mullingar.

Bill is one of six people gathered on Lynn Road for the semi-formal unveiling of a series of frog ponds located on the green area near the boundaries of the two schools.

These frog ponds will form part of a new mini park that will include green spaces, pathways, walkways, seating, and picnic tables to create a welcoming environment where people can relax and enjoy the outdoors.

It will provide an oasis of nature in the urban environment: “This is something small in size but big in impact, a frog pond. It can bring rich biodiversity right into the heart of our community. When we create a space where frogs can thrive, we’re also creating a space where nature can heal and grow,” the group behind the initiative said.

It’s a co-operative effort between the local branch of the Lions Club, Mullingar Tidy Towns, and Westmeath County Council.

The frog ponds will become a mini ecosystem; attracting insects, birds, bats, newts, dragonflies, and even small mammals who will benefit from the water, shelter, and the food sources they provide.

The ponds can be an outdoor classroom for children in the adjacent schools, a place to connect with nature, and a peaceful spot for reflection.

Frogs have strong migration and breeding instincts influenced by environmental cues such as temperature, rainfall, and the time of year. Typically, many frog species breed in spring or early summer when conditions are optimal; warm temperatures and abundant water sources like ponds or wetlands. The amphibians gravitate to their place of origin.

“The frogs pond was originally in the car park over there,” Bill points back at the schools, “after the car park was made, the frogs kept returning, you see there’s a tunnel between it and the Brosna.

“The kids noticed some of the frogs were being killed on the road. They approached us on the Tidy Towns committee about what we could do.”

This green space will provide an added benefit to the town by increasing access to open public areas, especially in a well-populated location surrounded by shops and businesses. Once completed the space will be well-used and appreciated by the community.

“We got together with Westmeath County Council. It’s a great biodiversity project, the people of the area can come out here, sit down and relax and enjoy nature,” Cllr Collentine told the Examiner.

David Coghlan, president of Mullingar Lions Club, said: “We were looking for environmental projects to be involved in. The Lions throughout Ireland are working away in this area. We met with Bill, and felt this project fitted nicely with our interest in the environment, biodiversity and mental health.”

The project creates a little enclave of countryside in the middle of a busy urban area: “For many residents of Mullingar this area was once outside the town but now, as you can see, it’s in the town.

“We’ve created this green area, made it available to everyone and it’s just fabulous. We’re more than happy to be involved in the project.”

The three new ponds have been planted with foliage that will encourage the new prospective residents to the site. When a frog pond is moved to a different location, the frogs’ behaviour may be affected depending on how similar the new habitat is to their original environment.

Factors like habitat quality, water temperature, availability of food, and breeding sites play a role.

Some frogs may adapt quickly to the new pond if it provides suitable conditions, while others might experience delays or difficulties in breeding if the environment is less ideal or if environmental cues no longer signal the right breeding time. This is a long term project and the finished mini park will develop the green spaces with pathways that are sympathetic to the fauna it hopes to attract.

“We want to thank the Lions Club sincerely for their generous donation,” Bill said, “It’s going to be a big help to us. This is not finished, as you can see now, what we’re doing today is just the first step, when it’s completed we will have a formal opening where everyone who made it possible will join us,” he concluded.