Ling'an Qingliang Peak: The Season When Chinese Toads Begin to Fall in Love

According to reports, yesterday at the Qianling Peak National Nature Reserve in Lin'an, at the summit of the mountain with an altitude of over 1100 meters, the morning temperature was approximately 3 degrees. Although the weather was not very warm, it did not hinder the rejuvenation of all things.

The Chinese toad is in its annual breeding season.

They emerged from their burrows and grass, and crawled in groups towards the ponds and pools, diligently starting to reproduce their offspring.

This year, the nature reserve is particularly harmonious. Over ten years of management and publicity by the Qianling Peak Administration have led to a high level of protection awareness among villagers around the nature reserve. Staff said that there have been no individuals caught capturing toads, it is considered the quietest 'Chinese toad dating season' in nearly twenty years.

Chinese toads are also known as '' (lā hǔmǎ), and locals in Lin'an call the toads that come down from the mountains after the fifteenth day of the Chinese lunar new year 'Huang Ha' (yellow toad).

Staff said that toads have a good appetite when breeding, eating decaying matter in the water, and as they grow up, they can prey on a large number of insects, which is beneficial to agricultural production. As water cleaners, they also play an important role in maintaining ecological balance and protecting water resources.

From March, the nature reserve will become bustling.

If the temperature is suitable, the cherry blossoms on the mountain will bloom at the end of this month, the tender grass will sprout, and the trees will turn green, accompanied by the chirping of insects and the calls of birds, and a true spring will come when small animals frolic. If you are lucky enough, you might even encounter newborn elk babies next month.

‘Nature is wonderful and full of mysteries, and each season has its own arrangement. When we observe nature and think about it, we can discover many things worthy of reverence.’ Said the staff of the nature reserve.

Reported by reporter Huang Weifen / Photo by Zhang Chun'an