Toads in the studio

Sarah Simblet’s concentrated work drawing tree leaves and fruits for The New Sylva was interrupted this week with the invasion of hundreds of young toads (Bufo bufo) hopping past the open door of her Oxfordshire studio.

Toads in the studio by Sarah Simblet

This time of year the young toads leave their watery birthplaces to start a terrestrial life in our gardens and woodlands, where they will stay for some four years until they are mature and ready to return to lay their own eggs.

Sarah encouraged a series of different toads to pose in her glass, each one only being captive for a few minutes before being released to continue its journey.