They are an iconic part of Britain’s natural world, inspiring myths, fairytales and at least one of its most-loved children’s book characters. But the number of toads hopping through British grasslands, forests and gardens has almost halved in a generation. “Vast numbers of toads are being lost every year,” said Silviu Petrovan, a senior researcher at the University of Cambridge, who was lead author on the study showing just how uncommon the common toad is becoming. They found that between 1985 and 2021, the populations of toads counted by the toad patrols had fallen by 41% in the UK. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter.