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!
