Now here's a warning you don't see every day. I snapped this shot on a recent bike ride on the pavement of a back road through the forest of Amboise. The triangular shape (as well as the exclamation point!) is a warning of a dangerous situation upcoming. I'm wondering if there are also little warnings on the side of the road for the frogs that have a car in the triangle.
I've always wanted to stop and take a photo of one of these. I assume they are a warning that toads cross the road to get to the étang at certain times of the year. Amphibs are protected and declining, so this is a way of raising driver awareness and hopefully saving a few toads. In the UK volunteers get out with frying pans to scoop up and catch the toads on the roadside and walk them across the dangerous road. I will have to find out for sure what these signs are (they are refreshed annually). May I use your photo if I write a blog post on Loire Valley Nature about it?
ReplyDeleteShort reply from my phone on the road. I am sure you are correct about the dangers of skidding on the road. You may of course use my photo. A+
DeleteOh and I think it is also to protect the poor amphibians!
DeleteI think these signs are all about protecting the amphibs. I don't think they are like the signs warning of ephemere (mayflies) which may die on the road surface in such numbers they cause it to be slippery. I think Fréquence Grenouille, an amphib conservation organisation, might be responsible for the stencils.
DeleteNever seen such a sign before, I like it !
ReplyDeleteI would have to think Susan's right on this. I've seen a sign in a neighbourhood here cautioning about the passage of turtles at certain points of the year.
ReplyDeleteLOL. In my neighborhood, we don't need frogs painted on the pavement. We often have actual frogs that have been flattened in place by vehicles. Of course, they're brown, not white. ;)
ReplyDelete