Currently, Eastern Japanese Common Toad tadpoles are swimming in the pond at the animal park. Spring has truly arrived, and tiny creatures have begun to become active one after another. It's hard to believe that just a month ago it was eerily quiet.

In late February, when it was still quite cold, we carried out our final maintenance work for the year. The main event was clearing the fallen leaves from the "Diving Beetle Pond." To maintain water quality, we drained the pond and removed as many fallen leaves as possible that had accumulated there during the autumn.

This year, our winter maintenance work was delayed compared to previous years, so we were worried that Eastern Japanese Common Toad might come to lay their eggs before we could carry it out. There are also many dragonfly larvae overwintering in the pond. It was a painstaking task, rescuing the larvae hidden among the fallen leaves.

　
Eastern Japanese Common Toad). Left: Adult Right: Egg mass
With the help of volunteers, we managed to finish the work, and as we were filling the pond with water, a staff member spotted Eastern Japanese Common Toad peeking out of the water! We were thrilled to see our first find of the season. Just two days later, we found Eastern Japanese Common Toad eggs in the now-clean pond. We were happy that they had laid eggs again this year, and we were relieved that we had managed to clear the fallen leaves in time.


Velvet bee fly
During our observation session in March with volunteers, we also spotted the velvet bee fly, which our staff affectionately call the "messenger of spring." The velvet bee fly is covered in long hairs all over its body, hence its name. Its straw-like mouthparts are also distinctive, making it a very endearing insect. If you see an insect suspended in mid-air, it might be a velvet bee fly. Since it's an insect that can only be seen in spring, try to find one!

Starting in April, it will be held every Sunday. Please come and visit the Spring Wildlife Plaza!

[Saori Furukawa, Education and Outreach Inokashira Park Zoo Tama Zoo)]

(April 3, 2015)