Saltwater Frogs? Something is Amiss...

   As a rule, frogs are prone to stay in freshwater.  They prefer to use freshwater ponds and pools when laying their eggs.  As far as I know, there are no frogs locally that prefer saltwater as a home for their tadpoles.  Supposedly, there is one frog in China that can tolerate either salt or fresh but not here.  Until now....

  What is up with the numerous frogs that have taken up residence in the marshes of the  Bayou?  I understand that occasionally a frog may be found there but now hundreds of frogs of all sorts are literally calling the saltmarshes home.  Granted, most of the waters are brackish and not overly salty but still it is unusual.  Over the past few years, I have found leopard frogs, bullfrogs, pickerel frogs and green treefrogs living in the marsh.  This is where they are laying eggs and staying to maturity.  They make no effort to migrate up the hillside to the two small ponds or the creek on the property.  This morning, a small treefrog caught my attention as it was perched on a boat pole.  As I watched it, I realized that there were many more on the marsh mats and pier posts.  There were frogs everywhere!

  The move to the marsh seems strange to me as salt usually dehydrates a frog's skin rather quickly.  Are the frogs adapting to the brackish water out of necessity?  Makes you wonder if the freshwater is not so "fresh" after all.  Perhaps all of the chemicals folks are dumping on their lawns is contaminating the creeks and ponds.  The brackish waters of the bayou are somewhat circulated out with the tidal movements so maybe it is a bit cleaner than we think.  Something is up with those frogs and it does make you think things are just not right.  Just a ponderance there...

Strange Things Are Happening

   Today has been blustery to say the least.  The high winds kicked the waters up a bit putting the pier almost underwater.  The marshes are flooded!  This causes me sadness because there are several species of birds that nest in the marshes and their nests are now completely submerged.  The same goes for the rabbits, lizards, mice and any other critters that normally nest even in the dry edges of the marsh line.  Some of these may have been alright had the tide rose then receded quickly but it has been unusually high all day.  Weather is crazy sometimes.

  Earlier while on the pier checking the mooring of the skiff, something odd was found.  A green tree frog was perched upon one of the stringer boards off the edge of the pier.  Little Froggy looked lost and I so wanted to reach down to rescue it.  Son had more logical ideas and convinced me that Froggy was perfectly fine where it was.  We checked the boat and on our way back up to the Little Bayou House, I once again commented that I needed to help Froggy.  At that very moment, Froggy did a flying leap into the water and swam to the marsh!  Oops!  Froggy must have overheard the conversation and was having no part of my "help".

  The frog population in the Bayou and marshes seems to have exploded.  Normally, the frogs were more apt to be found in the fresh water creeks and ponds but lately thousands have spread into the brackish waters.  This is not only tree frogs but bullfrogs, leopard frogs, green frogs, bronze frogs, Cajun frogs and just about any sort of frog or toad you wish to find can be heard at night.  Their songs are deafening now that there are so many.  This population explosion is strange, to say the least.

Let It Grow Wild!

   We all hear about "Master Gardeners" or those with a "Green Thumb" but have you ever stopped to wonder just how great they truly are?  Seriously?  Do you really have to label a person as such?  Do they deserve to be called that?  Are they any better than the average gardener?  Just pondering.  

  What brought this on was how plants do not seem to care if you have some fancy label.  They grow.  Throw a seed in the ground and if it was meant to be, it will sprout.  Sorry to burst anyone's bloated ego, but plants do perfectly fine without our help.  Case in point...the groundsel bush.  Across the marsh, there stands a groundsel bush that has never been tended by human hands.  It came up in the marsh with its roots in brackish water.  It has competed for space with the marsh itself.  It has never seen any spiffy fertilizer, be pruned nor sprayed with insecticide.  Yet!  This bush is doing amazingly well.  Just this morning, I could not help but notice how full of blooms it was.  The bush was definitely showing its stuff this morning!

  The groundsel bush or sea myrtle grows wild in the salt marshes.  It is often used to slow erosion along coastal areas.  This is the only native member of the aster family that actually reaches tree size.  Obviously, it is easy to grow!  Later, after the blooms are spent, the wind will scatter the fluffy seeds to start new trees.  Some see this as a nuisance but, personally, I think it is gorgeous.  Mother Nature at her best!  She is the greatest gardener of all time!

Pop Was Right!

  The hike to the pier this afternoon got me to pondering one of the great mysteries of life...or at least of the Bayou.  Ever since I was a wee tyke tagging along with Pop, I noticed little mullet would school in the shallows.  While there is nothing unusual about this, I always found it interesting how they schooled.  To me, it was easy to distinguish the baby mullet from other small fishes by their schooling technique while in the muddy waters.  Bull minnows would all stay low beneath the water's surface or would scatter into the marsh.  Menhaden rarely visited the shallows but stuck to the deeper parts of the Bay.  Their telltale ripples could be seen as far away as several hundred feet or so.  It was those tiny mullet that intrigued me, however.  More oft than not, one can spy the little rascals with their "noses" stuck high out of the muddy water.  When I asked Pop why the little fish did this, his simple answer was "They want a breath of fresh air."  I was to accept that and not question...as was the rule back in the day.  

  Come to find out, Pop pretty much knew his stuff.  While the mullet were not actually filling their "lungs" with air, they were, in a sense, breathing.  It was years later when a visiting marine biologist explained a lot of the sealife facts to a group of third graders, that I discovered how close Pop's answer was to being accurate.  The mullet were breathing but not how I had imagined as a kid.  It seems that when the oxygen levels in the water become dangerously low, fish do indeed lift their heads out of the water for air.  Whether the fish are pets in a tank or mullet in the brackish water of the Bayou, the idea is the same.  

  All of this information came tumbling back into the brain this afternoon as I watched a school of little mullet playing in the shallows.  These little guys had dallied too long to escape to the deeper waters when the tide receded.  They became trapped in a small tide pool that was only inches deep.  The soft mud and algae had depleted the oxygen levels below the norm for the fish.  While they were still actively playing, they occasionally would gather to stick their heads out of the water.  I can only imagine how sweet the fresh air was after being confined in the near sludge of the puddle.  As I watched, the thought that I should net the mullet and release them at the end of the pier came to me but, then, that was halted by another thought.  In just a matter of an half hour, the tide would be returning to fill the spot where the fish were trapped.  My efforts to "save" the fish would have muddied the waters more and probably have killed dozens of the little rascals.  Best leave things alone when it comes to situations like this.  Mother Nature has a way of taking care of things.

Evil Beneath the Calm Surface

  Sometimes it is hard to believe just what lurks in the waters of the world.  It is easy to think of fish, crustaceans, marine mammals, corals, seaweeds and even plankton but other things dwell beneath the waters. Some of those "other things" are not so nice.  A lot of folks will argue as to what is the most dangerous sea-dwelling thing is with some claiming sharks or others saying rays.  But there is one unseen thing that can strike and take down the strongest of folks.  It has happened and is happening more often, as of late.  It is not good, folks.  In fact, warnings are being posted that fishing, swimming, boating is a "do at your own risk" pastime.  Advisories are out to take care or just steer clear of the water for the next couple of months.

  A tiny bacteria has been causing a lot of trouble for folks on the Coast. This bacteria, Vibrio vulnificus is not something you ever wish to contract.  Called a "flesh-eating" bacteria, it is found in the warm, shallow, brackish waters around the Coast.  Vibrio vulnificus enters the body through any small lesion (as small as a pin prick!) and then quickly multiplies causing the flesh to deteriorate rapidly.  The bacteria is not choosy.  Healthy folk as well as those immuno-compromised can be affected by the bacteria.  Those with preexisting illnesses are hit the hardest and the bacteria can prove to be fatal.  Most folks, who contract the bacteria, suffer blistering skin lesions that literally kill the flesh which often leads to amputation of limbs.  Oh, and it seems that humans are the only thing affected by the bacteria.  Critters do not seem to have a problem with it.

  The bacteria can also be found in the mud and shellfish, such as oysters, crabs, clams and shrimp. Again, not good.  The Coast depends on its shellfish for survival.  Seafood is our leading industry here.  The fishermen and women are all at risk but so are folks who eat the shellfish.  Eating raw oysters or handling shellfish puts one at risk.  It is advisable to be extremely careful!

  When on the pier this morning, I watched the sun rise over the calm waters.  Sitting there, with all the beauty and peace around me, I found it strange to think how that very water can be so deadly.  What lurks beneath that calm surface can wreak havoc on life.  The Gulf Coast Research Lab reports that there are around 95 cases of infections (both food borne and wound related) per year.  I have no medical background but have lived on the Bayou all of my life and my advice is during these hot months is to use commonsense.  Avoid the water if you have open wounds or are ill, do not eat raw seafood and immediately seek medical care if there is any chance that you have been infected by the bacteria. Enjoy the beauty and serenity of the water but be careful!

Little Lost Froggy

  Back where the creek spills into the Bayou, critters abound.  This area has not been disturbed by humans other than an occasional hike through the muck during the winter months.  It is quite unthinkable to even attempt pushing your way through the brambles any other time of the year plus the threat of stepping on a cottonmouth usually causes most folks to have second thoughts about venturing here.  This is where the fox, coyotes, deer, rabbits, raccoons, possums, bobcats and a multitude of birds reign.  Their habitat is left untouched other than mountains of debris pushed in by hurricanes.  That debris eventually rots down to create huge mounds alongside of the creek.  It also creates "ponds" or small gullies where water settles and wildlife thrives.  It is in these ponds that are mostly fresh water that frogs gather to mate and lay their eggs.  (Others gather in my little Frog Pond!)  Just about dusk each evening, a frog chorus starts at a tumultuous pace.  It is almost deafening at times.  Even with the windows of the Little Bayou House tightly closed, the songs of thousands of frogs of all types can be heard.  I adore the "Froggy Symphony" as my grandmother used to call it.

  I have come accustomed to hearing and seeing the frogs in the back of the house but was a bit surprised to see one in the marsh near the pier. While frogs, for the most part, live in fresh water, they can tolerate some brackish water.  The ones here seem to have adapted well to the occasional high tide that flushes their ponds with brackish water.  They have not suffered any undue problems and are thriving.  Still, the frog near the Bay confused me.  Why was this bullfrog so adamant about traipsing the thousand or so feet from the pools where the other frogs were?  Did it really think it was going to survive in the salt water?

  The frog's presence (although confusing) could be a testament to the amount of rain that the area has received in the past six months or so.  As this rain falls it rushes down the hillside into the marsh.  Perhaps the waters there are now brackish enough for a different group of wildlife to survive.  Most frogs cannot handle much saltwater as they dehydrate rapidly.  This will cause death in a matter of days.  If their eggs are laid in water that contains too much salt, they will not hatch and if an area that is already filled with tadpoles is flooded with saltwater , they will die.  Only the leopard frog that we have here can survive any length of time near the saltwater.  My bullfrog friend seemed to have lost his way and wandered in where he did not belong.  Hopefully, the frog will have sense enough to head northward towards the creek or Frog Pond.  

Are You Lost?

  Well, I had to call on one of my fish experts again yesterday.  A strange fish (or at least one I have not caught before) visited the Bayou.  I knew it was one that should not be out in the saltwater but, since I do not fish freshwater, I was at a loss for a true identification.  This time, I called on Jason.  I first met this young man years ago when he would visit the Little Bayou House with a group of my oldest son's friends.  He was a tall, lanky lad who would tell fish stories incessantly.   It was obvious that this kid spent a lot of time on the water.  Each time he left the Bayou, he would always remind me "If you ever need anything, Babe, just call me!"  (Yep, he is a true Southerner.  Every female was called "Babe", "Honey" or "Sweetheart".  It mattered not if they were newborns or 100 years old.  This was not being disrespectful, rather just the opposite.  He still calls me that and still extends the kind offer of help at any time.  He is a good kid.)  Anyway, Jason confirmed that the little fishy was indeed a freshwater fish.  "Shell Cracker, Freshwater Bream, Redear or Redear Sunfish.  Down in Louisiana, they call them "Chinquapins"..take your choice.  They are all the same."  I checked and, of course, he was correct!

  Now, the kicker.  Why was this little fish out in the saltwater of the Bay and not up in the creek or at least far back in the Bayou?  Jason's answer?  "Sometimes they nest with Bluegills in brackish water. Obviously, this one was chased out of the brackish water of the bayou area by some larger fish.  Redfish will strike on the smaller ones.  They are not bad bait."  Good to know, I suppose, if I ever need to catch a really large fish!  It sure is nice to have a "go to" person for all of this information!

  The Shell Cracker (my preferred name) belongs to the freshwater sunfish family just like Bluegills and Crappie.  They get their name from their feeding habits.  The preferred meal for a Shell Cracker is mollusks. The Shell Crackers are adept at cracking the shells of snails and even small clams.  Occasionally, they dine upon shrimp or worms.  The Shell Crackers are sought after pan fish that many folks say taste far better than other fish.  My little fishy lived to see another day.  I figure that it had already seen enough trauma for one day and so it went free. Perhaps we shall meet again...just not under such circumstances.  I would prefer to photograph the little fish and catch the large ones.