frog or toad?

[toffee]

Been walking with boys and dogs this morning in wooded area of low fell land.
It was really bright weather at six thirty but unfortunately turned to heavy rain shower and we had no coats so ended up being a rush back to the car!
Anyway, the kids always like to stop along the way on the walk and look for grasshoppers and frogs and ants carrying things bigger than they are et etc.

Im not sure how to tell the difference between frogs and toads. I was told once on a guided walk and I think that it was that toads were rougher skinned but Im not sure.
The frogs and toads come in lots of colours and sizes.
today we found a tiny newt brown colour with an orange tummy with black spots.

The kids are always gentle with what they catch and put them back where they found them.

I make them wash their hands afterward but are any of our native frogs/ toads newts etc poisonous to handle?

Also, caterpillars, is it okay for them to pick those up?

Obviously, they know never to eat anything they find, including berries and mushrooms but can they get stung/ poisoned etc just from touching things? plants or slugs or frogs, newts etc?

Can anyone recommend any good simple books that I could buy to take out with us to identify the things we find?

 

[oompah]

I don`t think any of our native frogs and toads are poisinous i`ve lived in the countryside all my life and never come across one yet. Try your lcal libary for books on the british countryside.

 

[breezer]

only poisonous "wild thing" we have is the adder (snake)

 

[tim west]

deadly nightshade is a plant to avoid

 

[oompah]

Stinging nettles do what their name implies.

 

[breezer]

well if you want to count nasty plants there are a whole bucnh of them, the most common is the laburnam tree, its seeds are lethall if ingested, then there are the mushrooms and toad stools, and there is............

 

[oompah]

The native frog has smooth skin where as the native toad has rough skin with what looks like warts on it.There are lots of poisinous plants out there but very few are poisinous to the touch, treat the countryside with respect and it will respect you.

 

[breezer]

so are you saying we should carry round a big "beat box" lots of bling and suck through your teeth and say "respect"

 

[oompah]

so are you saying we should carry round a big "beat box" lots of bling and suck through your teeth and say "respect"

Treat is different from saying.

 

[gcol]

only poisonous "wild thing" we have is the adder (snake)

Does this not count?

 

[Stivino]

Toads walk and frogs leap.

 

[securespark]

Beat me to it!!

 

[TicklyT]

I believe that toads are supposed to be absolutely foul tasting, which deters predators. I've never tried licking one, and wouldn't recommend it, but that was once a 'cure all' prescription used by mediaeval 'doctors'. If they taste bad enough, the patient would proclaim it a miracle cure rather than endure another course of treatment. The 'doctor' would go on to prescribe the same treatment for more and more complaints, with the same miraculous success rate......

The foul taste from a mucous layer on their skins may be transferred if they are handled, but washing the hands should remove it.

 

[apul]

Many umbellifers can give blistering if the sap gets on your skin in sunny conditions. The worst offender in this case is Giant Hogweed http://www.netregs.gov.uk/netregs/processes/367839/

Apart from plants there are also health risks from ticks, horseflies and I'm sure theres more. http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/facts/ticks.htm

Don't be scared though. Children have always played outdoors, I did. I think the risks are greater in terms of health and happyness if they don't play outside or ever go to the countryside.

As for books, I have the old version of this. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Collins-Complete-British-Wildlife-Photographic/dp/0002200716 Its great, quite hefty though, its not the most practical thing to fit in your pocket and carry around.

 

[JohnD]

Kiss it and see if it turns into a prince.