Ms. Penny

   It was another busy, busy day of shredding mulch for the garden and cutting grass.  After about 3 hours of this work, I needed a cooling glass of water and a bit of rest.  It was during that rest time that an old friend came by to visit.  Ms. Penny, the box turtle ambled out from under the front steps of the Little Bayou House where she has been in brumation since last November.  It was good to see my old friend.  I watched as she slowly ambled to the tiny Puddle Pond where she could get a long awaited drink and some lunch which mainly consisted of tadpoles.

  This turtle has been coming around for years and years.  She is gentle and friendly but not so much as the turtle that hangs around the Frog Pond.  That one literally begs for handouts and attention.  Ms. Penny is receptive of handouts as long as you set it on the ground and back away.  She does, however, clear the Puddle Pond of all tadpoles.  This afternoon, she was still circling the edge nipping the tiny tadpoles from the sides of the pond.  It saddens me to know that hundreds of tiny future frogs met their demise today but it is a fact of nature that predators will be predators.

  Ms. Penny made her way out of the pond and back under the steps for the evening.  Tomorrow, she most likely will go exploring in the Small Gardens then visit the pond again.  She is welcome to stay and is always a delightful visitor.

Going for a swim!

   Doctors' visits, errands and grocery shopping just about did me in for today.  Enough was enough.  I was ready to be home...back in my little domain where peace resides.  After a morning of being on the go and then a quick lunch, I headed to the Small Gardens to recuperate!  As Queen, I could lounge to my heart's content and there was nobody to see me being lazy.  Taking a book of the shelf, a glass of iced lemonade and, of course, my camera, I made myself comfortable in the big wicker chair.   With my feet propped up, it was time to relax...but the birds were having no part of that!  I had forgotten to feed them!  That would not do so bird seed was fetched and scattered on the flat top benches.  Just as I neared the Pebble Creek, something made a swirl in the waters of Puddle Pond.  Whoa!  Those tadpoles must have gotten huge overnight!

  Nope, a critter was, in fact, dining on those tadpoles!  A small box turtle was scooting around the mud bottom as she snared the soft creatures.  Well, here was nature being nature again.  As much as I love my little frogs, there were far too many tadpoles in the tiny Puddle Pond.  If they were going to grow to maturity, a few had to be eliminated.  The turtle was just thinning the crop.  I watched her for a few moments then settled in with my book.  

  Five chapters later, the turtle decided to climb out and come for a visit. She wandered right up to my chair and stared at me for a good bit before attempting to climb the steps to the french doors!  With the first step just a couple of inches higher than the doormat, the turtle was able to hoist herself up but that second step was just too high.  I suppose I will never know just why she wanted to go up the steps because she then tumbled down under the open step.   After a bit, I noticed she was nestled in among the potted plants for the evening.  I hope this little one stays in the garden.  I have enjoyed her visit tremendously!

Welcome to Puddle Pond

  Four weeks....just four weeks ago, I was in the midst of creating Pebble Creek and renovating Puddle Pond.  These two features of the yard make use of the drains to capture water from the rooftop.  Instead of letting the runoff wash gullies in the yard, I dug a trench, laid in pond lining and filled it with gravel.  This I called Pebble Creek.  With the help of a pond pump located in Puddle Pond and a long hose running the length of the "creek" water is recycled to make it appear as if the creek is actually running.  Along about halfway, a small foot bridge crosses Pebble Creek and allows for passage into the Small Gardens.  Since falling on bad health just as I completed Pebble Creek, this area has become my new domain.  It is where I must do my healing and I am fully appreciative of the hard work that went in to creating my special place.  I had pushed myself to create the space so I figure that I have every right to call myself Queen of the Small Gardens.  It was my doing and now I shall take refuge here.  

  While basking in the sunshine this morning, I saw that the frogs and toads that visit the gardens nightly have been busy.  Hundreds upon hundreds of tiny tadpoles are in Puddle Pond.  This makes me happy as I know that the project can be considered a success if the critters feel at home in it.  Most folks would have dumped some fancy goldfish or tropical fish in the little pond but it suits me fine to have local critters here.  The frogs are just as adorable and they help out in the gardens by eating a lot of unwanted pests.

  Puddle Pond is a delightful place to watch my little tadpoles as they grow and change to froglets!  It is only about 18 inches deep so the clear waters allow me to view the babies with ease.  Ahh, a bit of hard work has paid off.  I feel rewarded.

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!

Love is in the Air!

  So far, we have had a most delightfully cool spring albeit a wet one filled with thunderstorms, hail and tornadoes.  I fully expect that our summer will not be much easier and we will see our share of tropical systems move ashore.  As long as they are not too overly powerful, I am good with a storm or two.  They clear the air.  Speaking of air, love seems to be bouncing about the clouds right about now.  Birds are nesting more rapidly after clearing the nest of fledglings, squirrels are popping out litter after litter and the frogs seem to think there is no end to childbearing.  

  After a few days of drier weather, we had a day of thunderstorms.  This not only gave the garden a good soaking, it called out all of the frogs and toads on the hill.  Last night was a regular cacophony of chirps, croaks and trills.  I shook my head at the clamor since I knew what all this meant.  Sure enough, the frog pond is filled with eggs once again.  There is barely enough space for the lily pads!  I even had one pair of American Toads deposit eggs in a water filled flower pot!  

  At least these are all good for the garden and will perhaps cut down on the myriad of mosquitoes that also love this rainy season. I am good with the frogs and toads inhabiting the area, although, there was a time when the racket they make at night, irritated me.  The din made it almost impossible to sleep with the windows open.  The kids and I used to go out with nets to scoop up as many frogs and toads as we could catch. These were moved to my brother's pond (without his knowledge, of course!) but the next night, they would come hopping back home.  I could not get rid of the critters!  Once I came to that realization, I decided to quit fighting it and sit back to really listen.  Instead of a racket of critter noises, I began to hear a beautiful serenade.  More importantly....I realized that I should be thankful.....I COULD HEAR!  Since that evening, the frogs and toads have had free rein in the pond, hence, it became known as the Frog Pond.

  With the number of eggs, tadpoles and frogs/toads that now abide here, I am surprised that there have not been more territorial squabbles in the pond.  There have been a few but not enough to cause worry.  If it comes to be a problem, some will be relocated...far, far away!  In the meantime, I will just enjoy life as it is even if it means noisy nights!

Something's Eyeing You!

  Just so folks do not begin to think that I am obsessed with frogs, even though I was playing in the Frog Pond with my little grand nephew, I found a new critter!  Jadiel and I were scooping out what he calls "fishpoles" when a rather large head popped up between the lily pads. We forgot all about the tadpoles and became more interested in our new friend.  A Box Turtle had made its way into the Frog Pond and found it rather difficult to climb back out.  The sides of the little pond are rather steep and slippery making it a difficult task for a poor turtle.  Unlike the frogs, the turtle cannot hop up on the pieces of driftwood that dot the edge.  Little Jadiel was quite concerned about the turtle and even offered to "jump in and rescue it".  This, I know, was more that he just wanted to take a dip in the water but I thought it was a rather nice offer.  I assured the little fellow the there was an easier way to help our friend.  

  We pulled a few more pieces of driftwood to the edge to make a bridge and then laid the water hose in the little pond.  A recent spate of dry days had lowered the water level tremendously and raising it would allow the turtle easier access to the edge.  In the meantime, though, we would just enjoy our new friend's presence and continue our quest in catching those "fishpoles".

  Although the Box Turtle is kin to Pond Turtles,  it is not fully accustomed to living only in water.  It is more likely to be found on dry land and will only enter the water occasionally.  Probably in this turtle's case, it was hunting for water or decided that the billion or so tadpoles in the pond were tasty.  Once in, the poor thing became trapped.  Now with our handy bridge and more water, the turtle should exit the pond on its own.  If it does not, Son will be called upon to extricate the critter and build a better exit ramp just for its future use.

Proud Papa

  Papa Bullfrog sits there like the proud patriarch that he is.  His chest is puffed out and he gives a deep-throated croak at sparse intervals.  He is the king of his watery domain and has his masses of children to attest to that fact.  His strength and size helped him to rid the Frog Pond of all other froggies and other tadpoles.  The waters are safe for his babies so now he can sit back and gloat.  And gloat, he does.  

  I checked the Frog Pond early this morning and found that thousands of tiny tadpoles had hatched from the jelly-like eggs.  The tiny black critters had gravitated towards the edge of the pond.  There, the bright sunshine could warm them after the chilly weather we had overnight. There, they could also munch on the algae that grows in thick clumps on the sidewalls of the pond.  They seemed happy.

  I....I am not as happy as the tadpoles.  These are the bullfrogs that have eliminated most of the tree frogs and toads.  Not only did the big male bullfrog devour most that dared to enter the water, the bullfrog tadpoles will do the same to any tadpoles of smaller frogs.  I thought about moving the bullfrogs but then realized that there was no way that I could catch all of those tadpoles!  There are just too many.  

  The bog behind the shed has now become the new home for most of my sweet tree frogs.  When out wandering today, I noticed dozens of the bright green frogs hiding among the water hyacinths.  At least they are safe there!  Ok, Papa Bullfrog. You have won this battle. We shall see just how far we go with this!  Sit there and gloat all you want!  I will be watching....I will be watching.

Time to go!

   For the past few months, the Frog Pond has been an active place.  The American Toads were the first to pay the little pond a visit.  They come (as do the others) to mate and lay their eggs in the fresh water that the pond provides.  American Green Tree Frogs, Leopard Frogs and Bull Frogs come in shifts after the toads.  With the first warm nights and thence afterwards for the entire summer, the little pond is filled with eggs and tadpoles.  This used to be a goldfish pond.  Then when the goldfish escaped during Hurricane Katrina, it became a Dragonfly Pond.  The toads and frogs eventually took over and I gave up trying to have anything else.  The small concrete pond became the Frog Pond. This suits me fine as I enjoy hearing the chorus of calls each evening.  

  I was out back this morning when I noticed that some of our tadpoles were escaping the confines of the small pond.  Hundreds of little froggies were climbing up the sides of the pond.  There they sat sunning themselves before heading out into the vast and sometimes treacherous world ahead of them.  There are all sorts of predators that would love to dine upon frog legs even if those frog legs are teeny-tiny.  Each of these tiny tots were rather large tadpoles just two days ago when I last checked. A few had their back legs but most were still "legless".  It is amazing how quickly they develop into frogs!  

  Now these guys will hop around the garden until they are large enough to make their way down to the creek and bayou. A few will actually make the trek against all odds.  Birds, coons, 'possums, lizards, snakes and even other frogs will snatch them up given a chance.  Invariably, a few will make it safely and then hike it back up the hill as adults to start the cycle all over again.  It seems that the Frog Pond is the nursery of choice for a good many of the local frogs and toads. Perhaps I should have made it a bit larger to house all of the infants left in its care!  Let the nightly chorus begin!  The romantic serenade of froggy love is filling the night air!

Large Mushrooms and Tiny Froglets!

Here on the Bayou, it has been raining most every day.  Usually, this is just a shower or two but still we have been getting a lot of moisture as of late.  I am not complaining as I love the rain!  I especially love to hike around the Bayou after an early (predawn) shower.  I can step softly and the wet grass muffles my footsteps.  It is times like this that I can observe so many things!  This morning, however, I really needn't have worried about my footsteps being muffled.  It seemed that nary a creature minded my being out and about!  Of course, with Ms. Ez choosing to stay in her bed, the critters did not have to be worried about a huge dog chasing them!  Still, it was that quiet time that I truly enjoyed.

As I rounded the back of the house, I came across some of the largest mushrooms that I have seen in a while!  Michael had just cut this portion of the lawn yesterday so I was sort of surprised to see these.  With the ragweed dangling just above them, the mushrooms were sort of pretty even if they might have been of some toxic kind.  I do not profess to know which mushrooms are edible and which might kill you so I tend to just admire them from afar.  And admire these, I did!  Each cap was approximately eight inches in diameter!  I kept thinking that some happy, little gnome should be perched atop the mushroom!

While I was using the imagination staring at the mushrooms, behind me the pond was alive with frogs!  I could hear dozens of adult frogs calling at each other.  Ok..I must check that out as well!  The Water Hyacinths have just about taken over the small Frog Pond again and will have to be thinned yet again this summer.  I sort of hate to do this as right now, these hyacinths are providing good hiding places for the tiny froglets that are coming from the pond.  The tadpoles are transforming into adult frogs and need some safe place to hide from birds, snakes and even the Leopard Frogs that also inhabit the small pond.  This morning there were a number of tiny froglets climbing out of the water some even with a remnant of tail still not fully absorbed.  With all of the rains, it has been a good year for these amphibians.  The pond water is still filled with all stages of the critters from eggs to tadpoles to froglets to adults!  If their nightly serenades are any clue, this cycle will continue for quite some time.  What started with dysfunctional fish pond has been quite the success as the Frog Pond!

Yep, it seems that my morning hike sans Ms. Ez, the dog, was still quite enjoyable.  Large mushrooms and tiny froglets can make me smile any time!

The Exciting World Through a Child's Eyes

I have always said that we as a human race could learn a lot by looking through a child's eyes. Kids have a way of seeing an amazing, beautiful, exciting world.  If we could only see the beautiful world before us instead of the mess we have created, then things would be a lot better. The other day, I had an awakening of my spirit merely because of a small person that came to visit the Bayou.  Evan is one of my favorite youngsters.  He is so interested in everything nature.  His parents, Eva and Erik, are raising him to not only be interested but also protect all things. This makes me happy. When he was here, he took a intense interest in the Frog Pond.  There, he was able to scoop around and catch tadpoles of all sizes.  I had given him an old canning jar to hold his catch.  This he proudly brought around to the garden to show his mother and grandmother.  They both oohed and ahhed over his prize!  Then Eva suggested he put them back into the pond so the tadpoles could turn into frogs.  Immediately, Evan did just that!  He did not fuss or balk about returning the tadpoles but rather understood that these needed to be in nature.  I am proud of Evan.  I am proud of Erik and Eva.  Mother Nature needs more caring folks like them to help her maintain the beautiful place in which we all live.

After a bit, Evan brought me a pine cone.  It was a fine specimen of a cone and had most likely produced many seeds at one time.  He asked if this was something that he could take home with him.  Ahh, yes, Evan. Pine cones are something that, although serve a remarkable purpose in nature, you can take home.  Their use  in the grand scheme of things has already been spent. The seeds that had been housed inside the cone not only grow into fine pine trees but, also, feed a lot of critters.  Birds, squirrels and even mice love to munch "pine nuts"!  Now, the cone is there as a thing of beauty.  Evan can see that beauty. I can see that beauty..through Evan's eyes.  He makes me see things in a different and intriguing way.

With the introduction of video games and indoor activities (or rather "inactivities"), it is refreshing to find a youngster that truly loves the outdoors and all that is in it.  I hope that Evan remains this way.  He will be a fine protector of all things nature.

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!

Froggy Nights!

The nightly serenade continues with both the Green Tree Frogs and the American Toads joining the chorus. Their buzzing, chirping and trilling starts in the early evening and carries on long into the night. It sometimes is almost deafening! The froggy pond is on the north side of the house just outside of the kitchen window so when this cacophony begins..the window shuts! This does not completely block out the sound but rather just dulls it enough to make it tolerable! I do have to be quite careful around the house as the tree frogs somehow can wiggle their way inside. Last week, I found one sitting on top of the washing machine! I had gone to the laundry room and spied the little critter just snoozing away! A quick snatch and I had him! Out onto the porch I went to deposit the froggy on the pear tree! Another made its way between the window and screen in the bedroom of all places. This time, Son did the honors and the second frog was released into the pear tree.

While out walking yesterday, I noticed quite a few ripples in the frog pond and on closer inspection realized that it was tadpoles..lots and lots of tadpoles! Now to me, all tadpoles look alike so I could not tell you if these are toads or frogs but there are masses! Some are much larger than the others so perhaps those are older or of a different type. The toad eggs are connected with a stringy, gelatinous goo whereas the frogs are more blobby-like. Several of the lilypads were covered with the tiny gooey eggs so I am assuming those are the tree frogs'. The tadpoles had all gathered to the side of the pond to bask in the warm sunshine. A few were in "tidepools" created by the cupping of the waterlilies. I was happy to see my frog pond so healthy!

In a few days, the tree frogs should be developing their legs and crawling up on the lilypads. Last year, hundreds upon hundreds of the little frogs made their way from the pond. Some went to the flower gardens, some to the fruit trees, some to the berry vines and still others to the canebrake. Frogs were everywhere! All of those frogs account for the nightly chorus of this season! Froggy Nights!!!!