Toads are sometimes lost, forest ranger Frans knows why

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What’s on the garden table?
Frank Verhaaren saw a strange animal on his garden table last summer. This is a larva of the Asian ladybug. Ladybugs, including the Asian, lay eggs from which larvae crawl that look a bit like small dinosaurs. These insects were welcomed in Europe twenty years ago to combat the aphids that made the harvests of fruit growers fail. This was a big mistake. The Asian ladybug is now displacing the European and now have become pest animals that cause pollution in houses and can affect the taste of wine. Not a good action.

Strange bird
Elise Bornholt saw a bird in a pond and she wonders if it is a mountain or a Nile goose. Both names are correct, but we officially call the animal a Nile goose. Biologist Kees Moeliker finds that not a suitable name, because in the Netherlands these geese mainly live in verges; According to him, a Bergende would therefore be more appropriate. Many Nile geese also breed high on stork nests or in trees. Is pole goose not a better name?

We stay with the name Nijlgans. Originally the animals occur around the Nile. Ancient Egyptians considered the Nile goose as a holy animal and regularly portrayed him. In Europe they now swim around because they have escaped bird parks and zoos. They are really located in the Netherlands since 1967 and there are currently an estimated twelve thousand breeding pairs.

From the path
During a walk on the Malpie near Valkenswaard, Ine Balmer saw something that initially looked like an ebject. It turned out to be a female path with a few horny males on her back. Due to the large number of males, the ‘whole stuff’ has fallen over. Hopefully the female has had enough power to get up again or passers -by have put her again ‘on the right path’.

The toad pull is in full swing and the animals go on the way to their reproduction rinsing. The males clamp their front legs under the armpits of the female before she goes into the water. They do this with special few cushions on the front legs with which they have a strong grip. Sometimes several males jump on a female, this creates a stack of toads. A crazy face that sometimes goes wrong, as in the photo. Incidentally, male pads jump on everything on the road towards the reproduction coil, from brown frogs to perhaps your fist when you move it over the road.

SECTION Beautiful photos
In the section beautiful photos this time a photo taken by Patricia Smulders. She photographed one of the most beautiful grasshoppers, namely the large green saber -spider haan. The two feelers are as long as the body. The total length is approximately around eight centimeters, with which the animal lives up to its name.

Natural tip: Visit the Groot Duijfhuis and look for beaver tracks
The Groot Duijfhuis is open every last Sunday of the month. In the former stable, an info point has been set up to explore from there from nature in the Dommeldal. Here you can find information about the Flora and Fauna and about the previous residents of the farm. There are various theme walks and activities for children.

You can also look for the biggest rodent of the Dommel: De Bever. Ton Popelier, member of the Liempde nature workgroup, knows a lot about the behavior of Bevers and takes the visitors on the road after a short introduction.