Song of the Treetops

  The Bayou is buzzing!  Literally.  While we normally have about ten thousand frogs of all types chirping, croaking and burping in the ponds and waters of the Bayou, itself, now we are being inundated by cicadas!  Both day and night are noisy!  It is fine by me as I love hearing the cacophony put up by critters.  Those sounds mean the area is free of intruders.  Have you ever noticed that the critters of an area are suspicious of any unusual presence so much to the fact that they immediately go into watch mode.  They will sit quietly watching...ever watching.  The only ones that fly into panic mode are the members of the (daytime) Critter Neighborhood Watch Clan.  Blue jays will scream their heads off if anything is deemed to be a threat.  My Bayou is highly protected in one way or another.

  Back to the cicadas, though.  Each morning, hundreds more of the critters can be seen trying to stiffen their wings on gate posts, trellises, tree trunks or my arm.  The other day, one lovely critter decided that I was a likely spot to hang while the wings strengthened to flight readiness.  I did not mind as the critter simply held on tight as I did my early morning chores.  Then, about ten minutes later, it took flight to the hickory tree where it will sing its lovely song.  

  This morning, cicadas seemed to be everywhere.  I had to be careful where I stepped and what I did lest I smashed one.  A lot of these cicadas are incredibly large!  They live most of their lives underground but will emerge, morph into flying insects and will live four to five weeks in the treetops. There, they sing their songs while seeking a mate.  The female lays her eggs in the oak trees and, after hatching, the larvae drop to the ground and start their tunneling.  Cicadas are truly amazing creatures!  How nice that they charm our area with their presence and their songs.

  

Marsh Frogs

   For years, the marshes were relatively quiet at night.  Occasionally, you might hear otters squeaking, raccoons squabbling or an alligator grunting but other than the usual night sounds of owls, crickets and cicadas, it was pretty much silent.  Now, that has all changed.  Once I designated the small pond as the "Frog Pond" and gave up hope of ever raising prettily colored fishes, it seems that the frogs got the idea in their heads that the whole place was theirs.  Frogs are everywhere.  Which I do not mind as they do help with keeping the place rid of some of the bugs.  Still, the nights have gotten a whole lot louder since thousands upon thousands of frogs are here.

  This morning before starting the chores for the day, I ventured to the pier.  As I softly padded down the planks, I could hear telltale signs that the marshes were alive!  It seemed that the froggies have lost fear of anything and pretty much do as they please.  With their voracious appetites, even the minnows are not safe.  This morning, a frog was literally zapping up the bull minnows.  

  The only downside to the billion or so frogs in the Bayou and marshes is that...where there are frogs, there is sure going to be snakes.  Hopefully, most of those snakes will be non-venomous and we will not be overrun by cottonmouths.  Water snakes, I do not mind.  

Just "Hanging" With Gilbert

  It seems that the green tree frogs love the place.  I have never seen quite so many as there have been for the past few years.  The numbers are growing quickly, too.  It also seems that we have a good number of other frogs calling the place home.  The back of the Bayou and the creek are filled with their nightly symphony making the yard a loud place after dark.  I do not mind as the frogs are free pest control.  However, it is a bit concerning just where some of the critters are starting to claim squatter's rights.   Under the eaves of the house is fine.  In the orange trees is fine.  The greenhouse is fine.   In the walls of the Little Bayou House??  I am concerned.  In the outdoor light fixtures???  Has me worried.  Under the hood of my lawnmower?  Ok, enough is enough!  (That, only because I have to check before cranking the mower. Sure do not want to hurt one.)

  This afternoon, Gilbert, the frog living in a light fixture, came out to visit for a spell. (Just a note of interest here. Gilbert is what I have named all green tree frogs.)  I was cleaning the outside area around the front steps when I first noticed that Gilbert had climbed out of the globe light.  In fact, he had hopped onto the top step to watch me work.  Gilbert and I have a quirky relationship.  He likes me to talk with him while I work and will allow me to pet him occasionally.  So, I talked then reached over stroked his little, green head and went back to work.  I am not sure what startled Gilbert but he jumped from the top step to my shoulder then leapt to the arbor post.  There, he sat in the most hilarious position!  Ok, so froggy, you just keep clinging to that post and I will be through here in a bit!  Gilbert did, I was and all was well.

Day of the Frog!

   Early this afternoon, it was too hot to stay in the house and, well, I was bored so I took a quick hike about the hillside.  A stiff breeze was coming off the Bay and the shade of the old oaks was welcoming.  This was one of the few times that I hung under the trees instead of heading to the pier.  I meandered the path that leads around the east side of the property until it comes to the canebrake.  There, I can head to the creek or turn to go up the hillside to the small Frog Pond.  I opted for the pond.

  

  As I neared the small pond, I heard a frog burp then a loud splash.  Ok, so one must have seen or heard me coming.  I eased my way closer to the pond and, suddenly, frogs were everywhere!  Instead of jumping into the pond, the frogs decided to jump out onto the grass.  It is in the tall grass or under the orange trees that the frogs seek protection but I thwarted those ideas!  Early this morning, I spent two hours with a weed trimmer cutting all the unsightly weeds from around the pond.  Yep, I even trimmed under the citrus trees.  The frogs were in a state of confusion this afternoon as they had no idea where to hop to escape this lumbering monster!

  Don't fret too much over the frogs being easy targets for predators as these frogs can leap nigh on 8ft in a single hop and there are still tons of places to hide.  In fact, the new fence line that I installed for the boysenberries provides a perfect "getaway" for the frogs.  It is just a few feet from the Frog Pond where the critters live.  I have seen several leap through the fence to the safety of the other side.  Any predator would have to run all the way around the fence to chase the frogs.  Gotta take care of my frogs!  Being in the midst of a dozen or more wildly hopping frogs was the highlight of my day!

A Matter Of Perspective

  Oh, so many years ago, I was irritated by the sound of frogs and toads in the pond.  You see, the "Frog Pond" at that time was designated as a "Fish Pond" and was home to a dozen or so very large gold fish.  The fish had been one of my rescues!  A young man who came to visit my son for the afternoon asked if he could "float" a baggy of tiny goldfish in the pond while he was here.  Knowing he had a large aquarium at home, I agreed to let his fish stay in the cooling waters.  When he was ready to leave, I asked why he bought "plain old goldfish" when I knew he had exotic fish in the tank.  "Oh, these are to feed the other fish!".  Well, that was not happening!  Even though I knew he was going to go right out and buy more goldfish, I convinced him to let me have the little squirts.  I released them into the pond and that was only the beginning.  Those tiny (1 inch) fish quickly grew to about ten inches!  I had the most beautiful pond ever!  Then came Hurricane Katrina and the fish were never seen again.  For the longest time, the pond sat vacant until the frogs moved in to set up household.  FROGS!  Loud frogs!  And toads!  Very loud toads!  Our Fish Pond turned into a Frog Pond.

  After the frogs and toads claimed the pond, I complained of the nightly serenading.  My once quiet Bayou was now resonating with the mating calls of several thousand frogs and toads!  The noise was so intense that it sounded as if the frogs and toads were inside the house with me.  Sleep was a thing of the past.  I fretted.  I tossed and turned.  Even though I grew up with a large pond full of frogs calling at night back on the farm, there was something irritating about these rascals.  So I cajoled the sons to scoop the loud critters and haul them to a neighbor's pond (in the dead of night, no less!).  The next night, the screaming critters had found their way back to the Fish Pond (or Fish-less Pond by this time.)  Then, one night, I could take it no more and got out of bed to sit in the old porch rocker.  Something had to give. I was exhausted from the lack of sleep.  As I sat there rocking, I started noticing how many different songs there were, how the tones were different and how I would hear critters respond from far away.  

  Then came to mind a framed poem penned by my grandmother as she sat in a rocker on my folk's screened porch.  "The Froggy Symphony" was her way of coping with the loud serenading of the frogs and toads in the pond back on the farm.  It dawned on me that it was pure silliness for me to let the sounds irritate me so as, in a sense, I was a recipient of an untold blessing.  I COULD HEAR!  Yep, the critters' cacophony suddenly changed from a mishmash of calls to a "Froggy Symphony" of beautiful music.  

  Tonight, the tree frogs are calling. The toads are trilling.  The bullfrogs are adding the bass.  The nightly symphony starts with the first few warm nights and lasts until the first frost of the year.  I have learned to embrace the noise as part of the charm of the Bayou.  Add in about a billion or so crickets, a hoard of cicadas and dozens of assorted owls and the night is downright soothing!  I can hear!

Good For Something

  Granddad always used to tell me that I needed to make myself useful.  Each and everyday, I was to find something to do so I would be "good for something".  I think it was more of a way to keep me busy and out of the way but I searched hard to find that bit of usefulness each day.  Being the youngest of five siblings, it seemed that I was more "in the way" than "good for anything".  But, I tried.  I fed the cats.  They seemed to appreciate the extra food and soon became fat and lazy!  That lasted until Pop told me that the cats were not doing their jobs of keeping the rats and mice out of the barns.  I moved on to watering the porch plants.  Carrying that water from the kitchen to the porch was a hard job for a 4 year old but I kept at it!  At least I did until Mom told me that I was making a mess by leaving a trail of splashed water.  Next, I thought perhaps I could help gather the eggs from the hen house.  That did not last long as the hens were not appreciative of a toddler stealing their eggs.  (Chicken pecks hurt!)  I tried my hand at weeding the rows in the field but soon found that I could not tell a bean plant from a weed.  Thus ended that chore. My usefulness seemed to be a hard thing to find.  Eventually, things all fell into order and I was assigned jobs on the farm that fit my age.  The chores included picking ripe fruit, hand washing the fresh eggs and packing them in boxes for sale, arranging fruit and vegetables on the market table and feeding the chickens. (They were not so apt to peck when they saw corn being scattered on the ground!) I felt good about myself as I was now "good for something".

  All of these memories came flooding back this morning as I observed an item being "good for something".  Years ago, Hurricane Katrina "donated" many items to us via the flood waters.  One was a duck decoy.  Where this thing came from was beyond me but since I had it, I might as well use it.  The plastic duck was tossed into the Frog Pond and there it has resided since.  It was not my intention to coax live ducks into the little pond but use the thing as a decoration of sorts.  Today, however, I noticed that the duck being used.  The frogs in the pond have decided that the decoy was a good perching place.  Two fine frogs were sitting atop of the floating duck!  While this looked humorous, it made me think that, at least, that old duck was not a waste.  It was good for something!  A bit of satisfaction was achieved! 

Just A Froggy In A Lily

    Just a few months ago, I threatened to do away with the Frog Pond.  I had already had enough of the cleaning and upkeep of the small pond, then along came a cottonmouth that decided to make the pond its own.  Nope, not happening snaky.  There are too many little ones that play around that pond for you to be there.  After catching the snake, I figured the easiest way to rid the place of future snakes was to fill in the pond.  After all, it WAS a lot of work and I AM getting old.  The filling in didn't happen and about a bazillion frogs started laying eggs and the rest is history.  The pond is still there....along with the frogs, tadpoles and more eggs.  Along with more snakes, I am sure.

  This morning, I was out and about when I spied another lovely water lily in bloom.  Nestled down between the petals was the tiniest frog!  A baby green tree frog had decided that the bloom was the perfect hiding place.  How sweet was that??  Yep, I had to get a photograph...or a dozen.  Then I noticed another, much larger tree frog on a piece of driftwood on the other side of the pond.  Oh, my goodness!  Frogs were posing for me today!

  Needless to say, the frog pond is good for a while.  It is safe at least until I have to clean it again or another cottonmouth has to be caught.  For now, the frogs can frolic all they want.  I like them!

The Jasmine Wall Diner

  The jasmine vine is in full bloom and the yard smells divine!  With this aroma wafting on the cooling bay breeze, every critter for miles (it seems) has decided to come taste the nectar.  There is nothing more inviting to nectar drinking insects than to have an entire wall of flowers from which to choose.  Bumblebees, honeybees, milkweed bugs, moths, butterflies and ants are all visiting.  They are feasting alongside the hummingbirds so the entire fence line is a busy place.

  I headed out to trim back the wisteria that has decided to join the roses and jasmine on the fence.  This is a volunteer plant but mingles well as long as I can keep the wild vines from choking everything else.  My trimming came to a quick halt when I realized that, besides the insects and hummers, another bunch of critters were in the jasmine.  The tiny green tree frogs were hiding among the leaves.  I would have hated to accidentally snipped a froggy! These little frogs are smart.  They know that the blooms will attract millions of insects so they sit and wait for the opportune moment to catch a meal.  It seems that the jasmine wall is a feeding place for many.

  Watching the frog for a moment, I noticed that a weird black and orange beetle was also on the vines.  It took me a moment to realize that this beauty was a milkweed bug.  While these critters do not really hurt the plants, they do reproduce rapidly and can make the garden look quite infested.  Well, this one probably won't.  That sweet froggy was watching the bug's every move.  Buggy may have become Froggy's lunch!

Almost Too Late!

  Well, I was almost too late!  Cleaning the Frog Pond is always something I try to do in the early spring.  Most of the time, the chore is done while it is still quite chilly even though I get rather wet.  Mucking around in knee deep water is a must if the water hyacinths are to be thinned.  Those things will clog up a pond rather quickly so each year, I pull out all but about a dozen or so.  That means two hundred make their way to the compost bin.  Hyacinths make excellent fertilizer so they do not go to waste.  That cleaning, however, is quite the undertaking and this spring, it has been delayed several times.  Last night, hundreds of toads and frogs could be heard raising their voices in their nightly serenade and love was being shared in the back yard.  The cacophony gave me a bit of a sinking feeling.  I was too late.

  This morning as soon as other chores were completed, it was time to get down and dirty with the pond.  The task was made even more difficult due to the fact that several clusters of toad eggs were already to be found woven in the roots of the water lilies.  This made it difficult to get the water hyacinths free and clear.  Several times, a decision had to be made.  Either a few eggs had to be sacrificed or masses of water plants had to stay. I did the best I could to save each strand.

  There was clearly no draining the entire pond as this would have damaged the eggs already there.  Half of the water was drained while the pond was refilling.  Hopefully, this did not disturb the eggs and the future toads and frogs will be happy with their somewhat cleaner abode.  I, on the other hand, appreciated the warm, sunny day as I was just about soaked to the skin with yucky pond water!  Oh, the things I do for the critters around this place!

Frog Days of Summer

  While most of the time we refer to the midsummer days as "Dog Days", after watching the Frog Pond today, I think the frogs have it better.  They are smart.  During these hot, humid days, the frogs are either floating in the water or are hidden from view under some log.  Their tactics keep them cool and comfortable.  The dog, on the other hand, decided to snooze right in the middle of the yard where the sun was scorching hot.  No matter how I tried to coax him to lounge in the shade near me, he was adamant about staying put.  Poor old pup was sweltering and thus ended our outing.

  The more I think about those brilliant frogs, the more I think the days should have been named after them.   "Frog Days of Summer" makes more sense.   Lets name our scorching summer days after the critters that know how to handle them!  Yes, I realize that the "Dog Days" were not named after a pet dog but rather the association with the Dog Star, Sirius, still, if you use a bit of logic, my way seems more accurate!  After all, the thought of sweaty, panting dogs is not a pretty way to portray a season.  Frogs frolicking in the cool waters of the pond evokes a more idyllic scene. So, I say, lets start calling these days the "Frog Days of Summer"!  Not that I wish to swim in the Frog Pond nor the Bayou.  I know what lurks beneath those dark waters.

Things are Changing

  The sun was shining, a slight breeze was blowing and I was knee deep in the Frog Pond!  Yep, it is that time of year again where the little pond needs a good cleaning.  There is not much better way to do this than just wade in and start pulling out the excess water hyacinths, branches and wads of leaves that have accumulated over the winter.  The chore is not one that I relish other than the fact that I get to be "up close and personal" with the critters that live in the pond.  Some make me smile while others can give me the heebie-jeebies.  I am usually ok with the larger critters that live in the murky waters but those squiggly larvae of assorted bugs sometimes get to me and there are a ton of those swimming about beneath the water lilies and hyacinths.

  This afternoon, I found hundreds of tadpoles in different stages of morph.   While I tried to save each tadpole that I found, it was difficult to do so as I pulled out the huge wads of hyacinths.  It seems that the roots are the perfect hiding places for the little buggers.  Some of the tadpoles were quickly morphing into froglets.  It was strange to see how quickly they could change when it was a necessity.  Back on the farm, during a drought, the large pond would start to dwindle.  By the time the pond became a mere puddle, the tadpoles were quickly morphing out of necessity.  Had they not been ready to grow those legs, they would have perished in the hot sun.  It was the same here, today.  As I tossed the hyacinths up on the bank, some of the larger tadpoles almost immediately "sprouted" their little legs. With these immature limbs they were able to push themselves back into the water of the pond (with a little help from me!)  This is one of the few times that I have been without the camera.  It probably would not have been a good idea to be out in the middle of the little pond with a non-waterproof camera.  The photographs were taken after the cleaning was completed.

  The pond has been cleared of the clogging hyacinths just in time for another round of egg-laying.  The bullfrogs have already done their thing as have the toads.  This week will see the little tree frogs being quite busy.  Its a good thing I like frogs!

 

Frogs Need Friends, Too!

  Every now and again, it is sort of amusing to pull a fast one on your friends.  A simple prank can lead to a lot of laughs.  Today, I sort of did just that.  While in the garden early this morning, I found a tiny critter friend trying its best to find a warm spot to spend the day.  A tad of cooler weather had hit the Bayou and the summertime critters were finding it hard to cope.  A little green tree frog had climbed up on the ruby lily leaves to bask in the warm sunshine. 

  About the same time I found the little frog, a friend came calling.  Darlene has not been to the Bayou in a few weeks and she needed a little "fishing therapy", as she calls it.  That sounded like a good idea but, first, I wanted to show her the frog.  "Watch this!" I told her. "I have a little friend!"  I eased my hand down to where the frog was resting.  As soon as I placed it near the frog, it climbed into my open hand.. "Oh, my gosh.  Now you are making friends with the frogs!" she exclaimed. 

  Yep, the little frog and I had an understanding.  I would not hurt it and it would keep the garden free from pests.  Nope, I had not trained the frog to climb on my hand.  In fact, I cannot even be sure that I had ever seen this particular frog before.  Other than the frog trusting me, there was a bit of "magic" in the incident.

  The little tree frog was cold.  While the sun was warming it some, the leaves were still holding the coldness from the night before.  My hand was warm and the tiny frog knew that, by climbing aboard, it would warm faster and could escape quicker if need be.  My body heat was being transferred to the little critter.  After a few seconds, I tried to put the frog back on the leaf.  It was having no part of this action and climbed back onto my hand immediately.  Ok, my little prank was backfiring!  I now was stuck holding the frog!  It took a good five minutes before the frog was willing to leave my hand and go back to basking.   By this time, it had warmed itself grandly and was now able to purely enjoy the sunshine.  Its good to help a friend.....even critter friends.

Bouncy Frogs!

  It is not often that I find a new critter here on the Bayou.  Well, maybe new is not the right word.  New to me is more accurate.  I am usually pretty familiar with everything that flies, walks, crawls, swims, slithers or hops but, here lately, I have noticed a bunch of frogs that I have not seen before.  It seems that suddenly these critters are taking over the place.  Not that I am complaining as I like frogs....they eat bugs.  I just find it bewildering that  I have never seen these frogs before.

 In the past two weeks, I have not just found one or two of the new frogs but rather hundreds of the little critters.  The first thirty or so were found as I moved some old boards that were being used as a walkway.  As the boards were lifted, tiny critters could be seen bouncing here and there.  Each board hid five to ten critters.  As many frogs as I encounter on the Bayou, none were as "bouncy" as these little squirts!  Frogs were everywhere!  

  Then came time to clear some garden refuse.  Once again, frogs!  The same little bouncy frogs were hippity-hopping everywhere.  I like frogs but this was a tad ridiculous!  Dozens upon dozens of the critters were literally bouncing off the walls!

  This afternnon, another hiding spot of frogs was uncovered.  The mums needed a good soaking.  When the outer pot was removed, there were those frogs again!  Each mum housed ten or more frogs!  My goodness, we have a lot of these frogs!

  Now comes a problem.  What are these frogs?? They are tiny with some not evey being much bigger than a pea.  The larger ones are maybe an inch long at best.  The frogs are mostly brown and tan with twin stripes going down their back. Others do not have stripes but rather blotches.  Not much to go on but the photographs will be a great aid in researching these little guys. Once things get settled down from the clue hunts, a day of delving into the mysterious frog hoard will be in order.  In the meantime, I will just enjoy the little critters where I find them!

Minnows and Frogs for Hire!

  Well, now.  A notice was posted that mosquitoes in our area are testing positive as carriers of the West Nile Virus.  We were told to do the usual commonsense things such as empty containers of standing water, use some sort of mosquito repellent, stay indoors in the evenings and use screens on the windows.  I've got most of those covered!  After each rain, the standing water is emptied.  My supply of vanilla is dwindling since I found that it helps in repelling the rascals so I must get more!  By the time evening rolls around, I am exhausted from chores so I am pretty much indoors.  Window screens have always been a must on the Bayou since we have pretty much every kind of insect just waiting to come inside.  We are doing our part!

  Then, there is the Bayou.  That would be rather hard to drain after a rain or any other time.  Sorry but some things are just out of my hands.  I cannot be responsible for the wiggletails, aka mosquito larvae, that are there in hoards.  Mosquitoes and bayous go hand in hand and there is not a lot you can do to remedy that situation.  Mother Nature will just have to do her part with that.  Did I mention window screens???  They sure do come in handy!

  The Frog Pond, on the other hand, is not a problem.  A dozen or so baby bull minnows were tossed in there back during early spring and now have grown to several inches in length.  The minnows are keeping the frog pond free of any larvae and are happy campers in their virtually predator free living space.  Between those and the frogs, the little pond is a pretty happy place. This afternoon while I was out back, I noticed that the frogs must be feasting upon the adult mosquitoes.  My goodness!  Those frogs are FAT!  

  So, while this was not happy news about the virus, with all of the rains we have been experiencing, I cannot say I am surprised.  It has made the area a haven for the critters.  I can only hope that others are doing their part in alleviating the problem.  Maybe I should hire out my bull minnows and frogs!

Silent Night?

   Most folks who visit the Bayou during the daytime hours always remark about how quiet it is here.  The peacefulness sort of wraps around you like a comfortable old sweater and holds you tight as the cares of the world slip away.  It is a soothing feeling that can make the stress of the world seem a thousand miles in the distance.    Silence save for the occasional song of a bird or the chattering of a squirrel.  Serenity like the whisper of the wind.  Peace of a haven in the midst of turmoil.  Yep, I have heard each of these descriptions and I have to agree that it is like this during the day.  Nighttime, however, is quite the different story.  Each spring, I get amused at the sheer cacophony that begins at dusk and carries on to dawn.  

  The little Frog Pond and the nearby canebrake are both homes to thousands of frogs of all kinds.  At night these frogs start their chirping, croaking, trilling and otherwise yelling their fool heads off.  This evening, I had company over for dinner and as soon as the sun went down behind the pines, all craziness broke loose.  The surprised looks on folks' faces amuses me.  Most folks do not realize just how loud frogs can be.  Keep in mind that some of these critters are a mere three inches long stretched out to their full length!  Those voices, however, could wake the dead, as my grandmother would have put it.  

  So, before you go think everything is all quiet and peaceful on the Bayou, take a listen to what goes on after dark.  Also, keep in mind that although this is a video of nothing but blackness, this was actually taken looking out the window of my kitchen.  With the windows open each night, the entire house is filled with this din!  Turn up your volume as loud as you can get it to hear what goes on around here after dark!  It is amazingly loud but I think I will keep it.  City noises bother me....this does not.

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.  

Feast For The Frogs!

  At daybreak, the Boysenberries were sparkling like jewels on the vines. My bucket was fast filling to the brim which made me smile as I thought of the delicious pie that I had made just the night before.  These, however, would be made into jelly.  Picking was easy since these berries are huge.  Normally, I reach in, grab a berry and plop it in the bucket with nary a thought.  Perhaps I should change my method as one berry was covered with critters!  Ugh!

  One adult leaffooted bug was surrounded by a whole slew of nymphs. This, in itself, was a tad strange as the bugs do not care for their young. They lay the eggs and leave.  The eggs and nymphs are left on their own. But it was not the presence of the adult that frustrated me.  Those rascals were sucking the juice right out of my berries!  Nope, not happening!  Sorry. Bugs you have to go.  While I hate spraying chemicals on my plants that provide food, I am not adverse to snipping a limb and tossing it into the frog pond.  There the frogs can do the dirty work.  Sure enough, once the branch hit the water, the nymphs scattered. This sent the frogs into a feeding frenzy which did nothing but make me smile!  Way to go, froggies!  

  The leaffooted bugs are a regular nuisance as they not only suck the juice from fruit, they can ruin entire crops depending upon their numbers.  With my berries under attack, it was only commonsense to eradicate this bunch while they were still nymphs. It only takes a few days before they mature enough to lay a billion (at least it seems that way) eggs on the underside of the leaves.  Our lack of winter this past year seems to have graced us with more bugs than necessary.  My contribution is to feed the frogs as many as possible.  Love my frogs!

The Word Is Out!

  Well, the word must have gotten out that the water is great as the Frog Pond is seeing a lot of activity.  After doing a complete "makeover" of the pond, the frogs were a bit scarce.  Most likely, the frogs were a bit leery of the new surroundings. Perhaps it seemed just a bit too clean or perhaps me sloshing around in their territory made them uneasy but for a few days, I was hard pressed to find even a single one.  I was starting to think that my hard work was in vain.

  Now, two weeks after the fact, all is well.  Frogs of all sorts are accumulating in the pond. Years past, at least six different types of frogs and toads utilized the little pond as their nursery. During spring and summer, a nightly serenade would start just about dark and go well into the night. The different calls would blend together to form the perfect harmony.  It was relaxing to listen to the serenade each evening.

   Today, just a few scoops of a net produced several fat tadpoles as well.  These tadpoles were transferred back into the pond after the cleaning from a temporary hold.  I am glad to see that they had, not only survived, but thrived.  Our warm winter allowed the tadpoles to overwinter with ease. The water never iced so instead of burrowing down deep, the tadpoles stayed active.  Soon, these will morph into frogs and start the process all over again.  In the meantime, however, the adult frogs will keep on doing their thing and more eggs will soon fill the pond.  By mid-April, thousands of tadpoles of all sizes will be found happily sunning themselves on the shallow sides.  The Frog Pond redo was a success!  All it needs now is a few more plants and a bench and we are ready for frog-watching!

Froggy Hotel Is Getting Revamped

  Each spring finds me knee deep in the frog pond as I pull out hundreds of water hyacinths and haul them to the compost pile.  While sloshing around in the murky water, I also try to rearrange things a bit so the frogs have a happy place to live.  Roots from the other water plants are thinned, new driftwood is added and any debris that has found its way to the bottom, is removed.  It is not the nicest of chores but if I do not do it, it will not be done.  The pond would soon fill with gunk and become nothing more than a nuisance.  Besides, I like my frogs!  I love to hear their nightly serenade as they call to one another. I love to watch them as they dart about the pond.  I love the fact that they eat tons of bugs! Dozens of different types of frogs and toads come to the little pond to breed and lay their eggs.  Tadpoles will rule the waters for the entirety of the summer as this is a never ending cycle.  Throw in a couple of water snakes and the area is one of my favorite places.  The critters never cease to amaze me.

  Today, I did not come across the water snakes that usually inhabit the pond.  They made a hasty exit two days ago when I first started.  The frogs, however, watched my every move from their Froggy Hotel.  Not once did they budge even when I decided to thin out the elephant ear plants and arrow leaf plants that were clogging the openings to the hollow log hotel.  I literally had to bodily remove several frogs as I did not wish to harm them.  Crazy frogs!

  Now that the pond is clean, the Froggy Hotel is revamped and the muck and yuck removed, the pond is ready for the outside to be landscaped again.  Things had gotten a little hairy there as well!  In a few days, I will leave the critters in their new home and watch from the kitchen window.  I do indeed love these froggies!

Keep calling, Little Froggy, Keep calling.

  During the late afternoon hike, I found a tiny frog sitting in the garden.  I would have never noticed the wee creature had it not started chirping (can't really call it croaking as it was too high pitched).  The tiny critter was calling for rain.  We need it.  The frogs need it.   I am not sure if the little squirt was actually calling for rain or was purely enjoying the dozen or so raindrops we received from a massively black cloud that hovered over the Bayou all afternoon.  Once again, the cloud refused to let go more than a slight drizzle that did not even wet the ground.  But the tiny froggy kept letting loose with its shrill call!  Boy, could that little fellow yell loudly!

  Back when I was just a kid, I can remember my grandmother saying that the tree frogs called for the rain to come.  She always told me that if I heard the frogs chirping by the backdoor, rain would fall by evening.  I believed her.  In my eyes, soft-spoken, sweet Grandmother would never tell me something that was not totally true.  More oft than not, her words rang true.  If the tree frogs chirped loudly enough and long enough, they surely were heard by the clouds.  Rain would fall and the world would be happy.  I was convinced!

  It was not until high school biology class that I found this idea of frogs calling the rain to come lies in fallacy.   Truth be know, frogs cannot command clouds...duh!  (Oh, how easy it is to convince a kid!)  They do, however, have the ability to feel the moisture in the air and it drives them a bit crazy as most frogs need water as a harbor for their eggs.  All of those chirps, croaks and burps are mating calls.  All of the noise we hear is usually male frogs trying to attract a lovely female.

  My demure grandmother was most likely "saving" me from being embarrassed.  Back in the day, folks did not talk about such things as mating frogs.  "Little white lies" were told to avoid the issue and the sure to follow questions.  It was deemed much nicer to say things like "The frogs are calling the clouds!" rather than "The frogs want to mate and make more frogs."
 
  Today, I looked at the little froggy in the garden and simply told him to get busy and call those clouds.  We need a good shower or two!  Works for me.