Coontails and Leopard Frogs!

I am not one that is beyond scavenging for plants to go in the gardens.  Nor am I one that is beyond scooping some plant out of the creek, Bayou or Bay to place in the Frog Pond.  This tendency has netted (pun intended) me quite a few aquatic plants that are now thriving to the point that either I am going to have to dig a bigger pond or give away some of the fauna.  There is just not a lot of open space left!  This habit is rubbing off on other family members as well!  Mark had scooped up a single Water Hyacinth that he found floating in the Bay earlier this summer.  The plant has multiplied into over thirty plants and is blooming profusely!  No wonder this is considered a "nuisance" plant.  With this rate of reproducing, the Bayou would have been well on its way to becoming overrun with hyacinths!  In just a matter of a few years of perfect growing conditions (which for the hyacinth means it has water) there would have been thousands upon thousands of the little pontoon like plants bobbing along with the waves.  In a sense, Mark's sweet gesture to me was a great life-saving gesture to the Bayou. At least in the Frog Pond, I can somewhat control the quantity of plants and not let them completely clog off areas.  Had the hyacinth been allowed to remain in the Bayou, we would have had a mess!  It is sad that some folks do not think before allowing nonnative species to inhabit our waterways.

Coontail..the perfect plant addition to the Frog Pond!

 Now, Michael had his turn at snagging a plant for the pond.  He was on the pier the other day and spied a wispy plant floating near one of the posts.  Knowing that I am always on the lookout for interesting plants for the pond, he took our fish scoop net to land a sprig for me. "Here, Mom...I got you this", he said once he was back up at the porch.  Ok?  In his hand, the plant looked like nothing more than a bit of slimy algae..just what I needed!  More algae!  Woohoo!  But after he had given it a good cleaning with the water hose, I could see that this indeed would make a pretty addition to the Frog Pond.  "I don't know if it will grow in fresh water......" he said and then  Sploosh!  In went the plant without second thoughts!  I peered into the pond where he tossed the bit of greenery.  Once the plant was under water, it unfurled into the prettiest shape!  I needed to look up about this plant..it made such a nice addition to the Frog Pond collection!  Coontail!  I was intrigued even by the name!  Coontail!  It seems that this is a great plant to have in the pond.  Small aquatic animals love the plant as it becomes a feeding ground for them.  Aquatic invertebrates congregate among the leaves and there the larger pond denizens seek them out as food.   The older plants that die, sink to the bottom and thus, become food for other plants and provide overwintering shelter for frogs!  It, also, seems that the Coontail plants are good oxygenators for the pond.  Since my pond has no aerator, I figure that this would be a big boost to the residing tadpoles and dragonfly nymphs!  In just the few days that the plant has been in the pond, I have noticed that it seems to be flourishing!   It has put out a few more branches and is quite fluffy!  Nice....I have trained my husband and son well!   They can both just keep scooping up these freebie plants!

Leopard Frog tadpole with its back legs starting to extend! 

The Frog Pond is doing well with its additions of new plants.  We have had several hatchings of American Green Tree Frogs, Leopard Frogs and American Toads.  I slipped outside a bit today and was able to check the progress of the tadpoles.  Currently, there are some tiny tree frogs hopping about on the water lilies and a few of their tadpoles still in the pond.  Another mass of toad eggs are floating attached to the hyacinths and the nearly two-inch-long Leopard Frog tadpoles are morphing into frogs.  Their back legs can clearly be seen even from a distance of several yards.  It is nice to know that the Frog Pond is healthy and with additions like the hyacinth and Coontail, perhaps it will remain that way!

A Bayou Serenade!

The Bayou is loud tonight! The Songs of Spring are ringing in the night air! This brings back memories of sitting on the screened front porch just listening to the sounds of the night. Not only are the crickets chirping from the mulch in the rose garden, the locusts (cicadas for those not from Mississippi) are buzzing in the treetops. Then there is the cacophony of frog voices rising above the Bayou. The old Bullfrogs with their deep-throated thunder, the high pitch of the Tree Frogs, the raspy almost clicking sound of the Leopard Frogs and the shrill warble of the American Toads can only mean one thing..Spring romance! Each Spring, the small pond is filled with frog and toad eggs..the little black dots surrounded by the gooey, gelatinous blobs are the frog eggs while the strings of eggs are from the toads. These eggs will hatch into the millions of tadpoles and eventually morph into adult frogs and toads. By tomorrow morning there will be millions of eggs in both tiny ponds and any other suitable water area. Suitable can mean anything that holds water..buckets, ditches, flower pots and even the birdbath and dog's water dish. All are considered nurseries to frogs and toads..a place to raise tadpoles!

The American Toad loves to hop around the garden most of the year just minding its own business. It eats a ton of bugs so I welcome it. The Leopard Frogs are shy and tend to hide during the day while the Tree Frogs want to be near the house. They take advantage of any outdoor light fixture. It is not uncommon to find them on porches and patios. But the old Bullfrogs stay for the most part down deep in the Bayou. Their rhythmic booms echo over the marsh and through the tall pines. I think I love the Bullfrogs the most. They remind me of the pond at my childhood home. There the Bullfrogs would croak day and night as they tried to tell us how to run the world. With the state of the nation and world today, the leaders could probably learn a thing or two from the frogs..if we could only get them to agree to listen!

I used to complain loudly about the toads especially. Their trills are almost deafening but it was the masses of eggs that they produced that bothered me. The ponds would literally be filled with the gelatinous strings of eggs. These strings would be attached or even woven through any plant or stick in the pond. I always hated pulling this mess from the water lilies. I would get my boys to go out with scoop nets to catch the toads and move them to a pond down the road a ways. Not that this did much good for the next night, it seemed as if they were back and had brought their friends! Then one evening, it dawned on me. Yes..I would have a mess to clean but with this mess was a blessing. I could hear! The shrill song became a music to my ears regardless to what was to be the next day. I was blessed to be able to hear their songs. Since then..I love to hear the toads, frogs, crickets and any other Bayou critter that wants to sing for me!

Frogs croaking, toads warbling..music..sweet music to the ears of this country girl from the Deep South. A Bayou Serenade! Like in the post from June 19th..A Froggy Symphony!