It Tried...So Can I

   My 4am awakening seemed unduly dark.  While that is still long before dawn and should be dark, it was almost unnervingly dark this morning.  Still, I arose, did the usual (required) stretches and exercises, made coffee and settled in with biscuits and marmalade.  Bat (the cat) and I enjoy our quiet time before the rest of the world shakes out of bed.  After doing the initial morning chores of laundry and mopping floors, our free time began!  He and I headed to the pier then back to the gardens for a while.  I gardened while the cat did cat things.  It was still dark even though by now the sun should have been up and shining.  Perhaps it was still in bed with everyone else.

  Along about midmorning, a sudden shower caught me off guard.  The compost that I was hauling had to wait for a bit to be strewn around the cabbages as Bat and I made a hasty retreat into the greenhouse!  There we sat among the assorted tropical plants and frogs!  Oh, so many frogs have found a haven in the warm, humid greenhouse.  The shower ended so it was time to continue helping the cabbages grow.  This lasted until about noon when I noticed a glint of sunshine trying to break through the clouds.  Oh, how neat that the sun appeared to be cradled in the branches of the hickory tree!  Yep, that was cause for the camera to come out regardless of the often drizzly rain.  If the sun could try, so could I.

  My day was spent trying to replenish the gardens between rains.  Bat and I spent so much time in that greenhouse that I feel I should install a coffee pot out there!  That darkness of the predawn did not brighten much throughout the day.  Then, it made a full-blown appearance again at 4pm.  That signaled quitting time.  Now it was time for a cup of tea and some cat snuggles.  All in all...a perfect day.

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.

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.

A Lesson in Courage and Strength

  I watch most of the critters on the Bayou and surrounding woods.  I like them.  I relate to them.  Somehow, I feel that we are kindred spirits. We live in peace and we help each other.  Each, in our own way, reach out to the others.  Yep, even critters have been known to lend a helping hand to those in need.  I have seen cardinals feeding orphaned mockingbirds, an owl and a hawk pairing together during hunts and even mama squirrels adopting orphan babies.  I try to help when I can without overly interfering with the course of nature.

  Back about two months ago, I decided to hike back behind the canebrake.  There are always some fun critter friends to  be found there.  Sure enough, I found a small green tree frog.  The poor thing was being attacked by ants.  I picked up the little critter,  brushed off its assailants and toted him to the Frog Pond.  There he could live in peace with the many other tree frogs.  He sat still in the palm of my hand and I was able to observe him well.  The poor froggy only had one eye.  This infirmity was not due to the ants.  Obviously, the poor fellow was born this way.  I figured the critter did not have much of a chance to survive but that did not stop me from helping it.  At least, I could get him closer to the pond.  I rinsed him in the cool water and lowered my hand so he could climb into the water hyacinths.  The little frog seemed grateful.  I bid him good luck and we parted ways.  

  Today, I found my friend again.  He seemed quite healthy and had nearly doubled in size!  Surely this little guy has been eating well!  He was still in the water hyacinths and was singing a fine serenade to some female green tree frog!  Well now!  My little friend did survive and was doing rather well for himself!

  The whole thing about this frog is the fact that he did not give up.  He could have fallen into the "Oh, woe is me!" trap that people often do but, instead, he plodded along and became as good a frog as any other in the Frog Pond despite his disability.  The frog had grit.  He had courage.  He had strength.  This frog was not about to sit back and bemoan the fact that he only had one eye, which in the froggy world is a pretty monumental disability.  Without perfect vision, it is hard to catch prey and even harder to avoid predators.  90% of people with a lot less problems would whine and complain and ask for handouts.  Not Mr. Frog!  He has a lot more fortitude than to let some infliction overcome him.  I learn a lot from critters.  No wonder I prefer them over people.

Critter Time!

Ok, so this is getting a mite ridiculous! My pond invasion of tree frogs has gotten a little out of hand. Never before have I seen so many tree frogs in one place..they are everywhere! I was out turning off the sprinkler in pea patch when I noticed a cute little frog under the waterlily. "Now that is cute!" I thought to myself as I snapped a picture. Then..I noticed the ones on the stem of the lilypad..and the ones on the leaf of the arrowplant and the ones on the stem of the hyacinths..and the ones..well..you get the picture. There were so many tree frogs that every plant was literally covered with them. Then a thought..if these all mature and stick around my yard, nighttime might be a tad noisy in a few months! Their chirping will most likely fill the air especially when it ever starts to rain again! Oh..what fun it is to live on a Bayou with all the critters!

Another critter caught my eye today. Actually, Hubby spied it first as we were out walking this evening. On or rather "in" (as inside) an oak tree, the Pileated Woodpecker was working. He was so busy pecking that at first I do not believe he even saw us! The Pileated Woodpecker pounded away..tearing at the rotten wood on the inside of a damaged oak. At one point, he was so far inside the tree that it was hard to see him except when his red crest would flash like a flag! Both Hubby and I were pondering the fact of whether this tree was its home. I learned several interesting facts about the Pileated Woodpecker from my birding book. They will drill up to 16 holes in the tree in which they nest. These escape routes allow them to evade any predators that might make their way into the nesting tree. The Pileated Woodpecker will also peck small holes around the entrance hole to allow the sap of the tree to run. This gooey sap deters intruders such as snakes from entering the nest. And lastly..they sometimes peck so many deep holes in small trees that the tree will actually break in half. Now that is some serious pecking!

I will have to investigate the oak tree a bit further in better light to see if this is a nesting tree! No use in meandering around in bad lighting, I might just find a moccasin instead of a bird's nest!

One other point of interest on the Bayou..the Liatris are blooming! These tall spikes of purple feather blooms are incredibly beautiful. My Sweet Daughter-in-law gave me these bulbs several months ago. I planted them in the corner by the then cabbage patch which has been replanted to being the bean garden! The Liatris is a very beneficial plant to have in the garden as it seems to lure bees. This is great for any garden..pollinators! I have been told that Liatris is one of those foolproof garden plants. One that makes even the novice gardener look like a pro! I am all for that type of plant! Supposedly only two things can be done to ruin the Liatris..one..planting the corms upside down. If you do this, the plant will not grow. Well..I guess I planted mine all the right way since every last one of them came up and are flourishing! And two..have soggy ground. That one is easy for me! I live on top of a hill..of sand! Our yard seems to be nothing but sand so it drains extremely well..perhaps too well at times. Still, the Liatris seem to be doing well in spite of the drought and heat. Thank you, Sweet Daughter-in-law!

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!