Monday, December 7, 2015

look out!


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.

7 comments:

  1. 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?

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    1. Short 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+

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    2. Oh and I think it is also to protect the poor amphibians!

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    3. I 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.

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  2. Never seen such a sign before, I like it !

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  3. I 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.

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  4. LOL. 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. ;)

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