Unfounded Fear?

   When you are fishing around in the Frog Pond trying to pull out some of the spent water hyacinths, the last thing you need to see is a snake.  For me, it is enough to make the work pause while I determine the type of snake.  Here, we have all kinds...both venomous and nonvenomous so it is always a wise move to verify what type is nearby.  There is absolutely no need to put yourself in danger if said snake is apt to make you wind up in a hospital but, on the other hand, there is absolutely no need to quit work if the snake is a friend.  (Unless, of course, the work was not something you wished to do, in the first place.)  Anyway, the snake was identified and the clearing of hyacinths continued.  This was merely my friendly watersnake so there was nothing alarming...at least, not for me.  The snake may have not appreciated this "monster" messing in its domain but that is a different perspective, altogether.

  Finding the snake in the little pond made me ponder just how many folks are terrified of ANY snake.  I have literally seen people have panic attacks over a black racer so I can only imagine how those same folks would have falsely identified this critter as a cottonmouth.  Where did this intense fear originate?   It cannot be contributed to just a phobia as their stories tend to be a bit on the wild side.  "Snakes are all "poisonous."  Nope...while there  may be "poisonous" snakes somewhere...they are extremely rare and...you have to eat them to be affected by the toxins.  Now...there are "venomous" snakes around here but not ALL are in that category.  Most are nonvenomous.   Then I hear,  "Snakes hunt you down to bite you."  Huh?  Why in the world would they do that?  If a venomous snake does bite you, it is because you invaded its territory.  (Like me wallowing in the Frog Pond.)  A snake has more sense than to waste its venom on something that is not going to fill its belly and, trust me, our snakes are not going to eat you.  They cannot.  They physically cannot.    Finally...they resort to "The only good snake is a dead snake!"  What foolishness is that?  All snakes do good things by keeping other critters in check.  Without them, think of how many rats, mice, insects and other critters would be crawling about the place.  Plus, killing anything just because you do not like it is never the right thing to do.  Live and let live...in peace.  It just makes me ponder. 

 

  Perhaps this is a thing passed down through family members.  Pop made sure we could identify venomous snakes over nonvenomous and to let all live if entirely possible.  Possibly, the fear of snakes is a learned thing simply because no one ever took the time to teach kids which to not handle.  Maybe it was just easier to "scare" kids into not messing with any snakes than to take a few minutes teaching them.  Who knows?  Also, there is a big cultural thing that portrays all snakes as "evil" which is a bunch of crock.  To my experiences, humans are the only species that can possibly be called "evil".  Snakes get a bad rap just like crows, ravens, black cats and even goats.  Those poor critters have been splatted across history as being bearers of bad luck, misfortune and even death.  Once again...a big NOPE.  Some folks just have to create a justification for their own silliness.  Critters are not evil.  Snakes are not evil.  This does not mean critters cannot be dangerous but a bit of commonsense should come into play somewhere.  That said, had my snake been an actual cottonmouth (or any other venomous snake), it would have been removed from the Frog Pond simply because the pond is so near the back door.  The watersnake can stay but I do warn visitors that the critter is there simply to avoid any panic attacks.  Me?  I did get those water hyacinths thinned even with my friend having to be shooed off of some that needed pulling.  It obliged and I continued.  We are a pretty good team!

Pond Friends

   Sometimes you can go your whole life without seeing something that is supposedly rather common.  There can be several reasons for this not excluding the "seeing but not identifying" or the "overlooking the obvious".  I have a tendency to try to identify everything that is in my realm.  The Bayou offers a plethora of critters and plants...all which interest me.  It goes without saying that I do misidentify some and always am open to receiving any definite identifying marks if I am incorrect.  It helps me to learn.

  While out pulling the overgrowth of water hyacinths from the little Frog Pond, I came across the cutest snake. At first glance, I knew it was not a cottonmouth so I felt safe being knee-deep in the same waters with the critter.  I finished my chore with the snake not making an effort to move except off of any plant that I grabbed.  Finally, I was able to step out of the pond, grab the camera and get some photos of my new-found friend.  I figured I could call it a friend after spending an hour or so together in the same shallow pond.  We were now friends!  After looking closely at the little snake and then later at the photographs, I became even more excited.  From all the information I can gather, this is (hopefully) a Mississippi Green Watersnake!  Why does this make me so excited?  These snakes are relatively common but I have never actually seen one up close and personal.

  With the snaky in the pond, I am noticing less and less frogs.  My little snake friend will soon be huge and the pond will be void of the froggies.  Perhaps, then, I will have to rename to oversized puddle as "Snake Pond" and be happy with the new resident.  Although I shall miss the frogs, I welcome this new friend.  Froggies can move over to Puddle Pond with its Pebble Creek.

A Pretty Problem

   A while back, someone obviously dumped a bunch of pond plants into the Bay.  While this may not seem to be a big deal, it is since most of the plants used in ornamental ponds are not native to the area.  When you put them in an environment that is perfect for growing...they grow...and grow.  The Bay is a lot larger than any tiny pond, so the plants simply multiply to great ends.  This creates problems as now the native plants are squeezed out of their territory and many of the critters that depend on those plants have to either leave or die.   The plants also clog waterways such as the Bayou making navigation by small boats virtually impossible.

  When I discovered a bunch of water hyacinths near the pier, I was quick to fish them out of the water.  All but two were destroyed by composting.  Two went into the little Frog Pond where I could keep track of the plants.  Water hyacinths are an invasive species that are rapid growers and can reproduce like crazy. In fact, they are the fastest multiplying water plants on earth!  Go figure.  

  Those two plants in the little pond did well and by the year's end had multiplied enough to totally fill the pond.  Come next spring (and every spring since), I fished the plants out, returned two and composted the rest.  Hundreds upon hundreds of hyacinths filled the compost pile!  While most others are attracted to the beautiful blooms, I grow them for the composting.  These things make the best fertilizer for the gardens!

  Today, the hyacinths are in full bloom and the pond is a gorgeous mess of purple!  My second cleaning of the pond will be in a couple of weeks since the pond is clogged and most of the frogs are not happy.  The compost pile will be filled again and soon the garden plants WILL be happy!  Folks, don't dump your unwanted plants and critters.  They do, indeed, cause problems for the environment.  Be careful!

Just Because

   Have you ever pondered the use of some things?  If you look hard enough, there is a purpose for every natural thing on this earth.  Even the things we deem as "not good" have a reason for being here.  Nothing was created simply to take up space.  Things have a purpose.  

  I was in the midst of a "deep thinking" when it occurred to me that occasionally that all-important reason was just to be.  At this point, I am beginning to think that is my purpose...just to be.  Still, there has to be more.  While on my last stroll for the evening, my thoughts ricocheted around in the dark corners of my brain.  Other than knocking out a few cobwebs, not much was accomplished until just before I was back at the front steps.  The sun was sliding down behind the oak trees and was shooting a few, feeble beams through the garden.  One ray of light dappled upon the water hyacinths in Puddle Pond.  It was a lovely sight to behold. 

  It was then that a thought of wonder struck me. "The water hyacinths are not much good for anything other than looking pretty."  It is true.  The plants are highly invasive and can clog waterways in a matter of months.  Let one rogue plant be dumped free and chaos begins.  These plants can even grow in brackish waters such as the Bayou or even the Bay.  Nothing eats them other than a few bugs that, in desperation, will nibble a few bites.  (At one time, the plants were choking waterways so bad, there was a thought of importing hippos to remedy the problem.  Look it up.  1910..Hippo Bill.  Crazy.)  So, the plants are not useful as foodstuffs.  Other than being pretty, I have only found that they make good fertilizer for the garden.  And, therein, lies another problem because, if you are not careful, they can acclimate to being ground plants especially if you have a particularly wet season.  Obviously, some things are meant to just be pretty and serve no other apparent purpose.  (I am sure there is a use but it escapes my feeble thoughts.) 

  All of this brought one thought...if you feel your purpose on this old earth is not important.  Just be...be the best YOU there is.  That is enough.  

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!

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!

 

The Perching Spot

  The Frog Pond is still in the process of being revamped.  This job is taking much longer than I expected as Son and I got sidetracked on producing the Annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou.  There have been so many distractions that some chores have been put on hold.  The Frog Pond was one of the "do it tomorrow" chores.  I will get back to it some day...hopefully.  In the meantime, the frogs do not mind as long as there is water in the pond and plants to hide them from predators.  The aesthetics can wait as far as they are concerned.  This afternoon as I was pushng the lawnmower around the place to make it somewhat presentable, I noticed that one of the elephant ear plants in the pond was  blooming.  Well, at least it had a bloom if you can call a long, pointy thing a bloom.  The banana-yellow bud stuck up about fifteen inches above the water making it the perfect perching place for the dragonflies.  They seemed to be taking turns catching a catnap on the tip of the bloom.

  Elephant ear are strange plants that seem to grow just about anywhere you toss them.  The root can take hold in dry dirt, mulch or even (as mine are) in two feet of water.  You do not even have to actually "plant" the things!  When we first started the makeover of the Frog Pond, I pulled two hundred water hyacinths and thirty or so elephant ear plants from the pond.  These were hauled to the compost and tossed in to create a good fertilizer.  The hyacinths rotted down completely in a matter of weeks but the elephant ears refused to die.  They flourished in the compost and were fertilized by their once pond mates, the hyacinths.  Those plants grew to great heights but produced nary a bloom.  The one in the pond is a spindly thing but obviously size does not matter.

  The dragonflies have claimed the Frog Pond for their own as they are laying eggs in the still waters.  Dozens of the critters flit about as they search for the perfect mate.  Being as it is already late in the year for the eggs to hatch and grow to maturity, the nymphs will overwinter in the Frog Pond.  Come springtime, the nymphs will be some of the first to morph into adults and help keep my garden pest free! The Frog Pond with its perfect perching spots is quite the busy place regardless of it being neglected.

Fishing for Trouble

  After the midday heat subsided a bit, I headed to the pier to check the little skiff and just cool off a bit.  A brisk wind had picked up causing the marsh grass to give a little dance.  Dragonflies were darting about the tops of the reeds and occasionally alighting on the pier posts.  Over the water, a few gulls dove after menhaden.  All was seemingly peaceful and good.  Harmony reigned over the Bayou or at least it so appeared.  On my way back up the pier was when I spied something troubling.

  It irks me how irresponsible some folks can be.  I am all for having a pretty yard with flowers and water features.  I am not all for the dumping of invasive plants from water gardens out into the Bay.  Water Hyacinths are known to cause trouble with a capital T.  As beautiful as the blooms are and as intriguing as the little pontoon-like stems can be, these are not plants to let loose in any waterways.  Water Hyacinths multiply at an alarming rate and within a matter of two to three warm, summer months can completely clog bayous, channels and even bays.  This overgrowth soon shuts out any other natural marsh plants and eventually makes the water even uninhabitable by fish, shrimp, crabs and other water life.  The plants are just bad news all together.

  While I could not reach these plants and since Son is still recuperating from his hurt knee, the plants will have to wait a few more days.  At least, they are corralled in the small inlet where we tie the boat during inclement weather.  Hopefully, they will stay put and not be washed back out into the Bay.  With these two clumps having washed into my area, I am concerned just how many others have been dumped into the Bay.  If only people knew....or....more to the point, if only people cared. 

Nature's "Styrofoam" or Weird Thoughts

  The oddest thoughts bounce around in my head while I am out doing mindless tasks.  Such weird things filled the brain today as I cleaned out the little Frog Pond.  Or at least, while I attempted to clean the pond.  I did not finish as I found too many creepy crawlies at one point and decided to abandon the chore for a while.  I did, however, manage to yank out all of the Water Hyacinths.  This, in itself, was a daunting task. Over three hundred of these plants crammed the poor pond making it almost devoid of anything else.  For those who do not know, Water Hyacinths multiply at such a great rate that they are a leading cause of blocked waterways.  Just one of the plants can spread to thousands in a given year if there is enough space.  Let each of those multiply at the same rate and soon free-flowing canals come to a jolting halt.  Any life in the waterway will be suffocated and the whole place becomes a dead zone.  Not happy.  This is exactly why I am careful to not let any hyacinths reach the Bayou.  One can kill the whole ecosystem there. Mine go to the compost pile to be used as fertilizer.  Waste not...want not.

  Those Water Hyacinths are what started the cogs in the brain to dust themselves off and start churning.  Out of curiosity, I broke open one of the bulbous stalks to see just how the plant floats.  Duh....the inside looked just like Styrofoam.  I pondered if whoever invented the craft foam studied the Water Hyacinth to come up with their idea.  Inside the stalk of the hyacinth, the pulp was quite funky looking.  Tiny pockets of air were surrounded by a firm fiber.  These pockets of air are what keep the plant afloat.  I squished the stem and, lo and behold, it sounded like Styrofoam, too!  This all made me wonder if there was something useful that could be made from the plant.  A bit of investigation answered that question rather quickly.  Nope!  Other than becoming ideal fertilizer for the garden, the plants are most useless.  I had thought that perhaps the stem could be dried and used as a flotation or as a filler but it seems as if the pockets turn to mush after a few days of being out of the water. Once the plant dies, it literally rots rather quickly.  This does help with the composting but would be quite problematic if one was trying to retain the form for some other use.  Water Hyacinths are not a crafty medium!

  After my rather uneventful study of the plant, I pondered why they multiply with the rapidity they do.  It seems that Water Hyacinths do not use a lot of sense...which stands to reason since they do not have brains.  But, still, to multiply so much that you are killing yourself  seems rather stupid.  The plants keep on reproducing even to the point of piling one on top of the other.  The lower ones eventually die but that does not hinder the others.  Perhaps the dying ones are used as protein for the newer plants but what it the use of that?  Once a waterway becomes completely clogged even the Water Hyacinths die.  All of that reproducing eventually kills out the whole lot.   Geez...

  Then came another weird thought.  Why are we in this nation so adverse to making use of what we have on hand?  Why, since these plants do multiply so rapidly, has somebody not come up with the brilliant idea of making nature-friendly fuel from them?  In some other countries, the plants are used as fuel and then the residue (ash) is turned into fertilizer.  It seems as if this would be a no-brainer and would be a relatively cheap process.  The Water Hyacinths are plentiful and are definitely self sustainable.  Then again, these are all just stupid thoughts from someone growing weary of pulling the hyacinths from the Frog Pond.........Other thoughts.  Why do I keep leaving any Water Hyacinths in the pond if I just have to yank out hundreds upon hundreds each year?  Why are there so many weird critters in my Frog Pond?  Why do I even have a Frog Pond?  Yep....odd thoughts.

Water-weary and HOT!

  The heat and rain that has slammed the Bayou for the past ten days or so has really taken a toll on the garden.  Plants are literally being drowned.  This is strange as one day the pouring rain saturates the ground to the sogging point but then let one day go without moisture and plants are wilted.  It is sort of saddening as I spent all spring babying the plants now to only have them die without producing.  That and the onslaught of bugs that insist upon chewing their way through each and every plant has just about turned me against trying again....but I will.  Pop always used to say that he "needed to try a bit harder" so I guess what was good enough for him is good enough for me.

  One thing that is flourishing is the Frog Pond.  Hmmm...no go figure. Not only are the thousands of toads and frogs extremely happy, the dragonflies and mayflies seem to think everything is pretty nifty as well. I see more and more of the castoff "sheds" of the nymphs.  The pond plants are covered with the weird-looking "skeletons".  This makes me happy since these critters might eat the others that are not so very nice.  

  Even the pond plants are enjoying the rains and heat.  Obviously, water hyacinths are accustomed to extreme heat.  I pulled out and discarded nearly a hundred of the plants during the pond cleaning in March. Now that May is nigh over, the pond is once again filled to the brim with the bright green floaters.  I fully understand the need to keep these things contained!  (I have found that they make great compost, though!)  

  As much as I am a bit water-weary, rain is always welcome and I shall not complain...too much.  Things could be far worse and I fully expect the end-summer drought to be just as frustrating.  Being thankful for whatever may come is the way to go!

Bad time to get out of the pool!

  The American Green Tree Frog tadpoles have been doing their morphing into froglets this whole week.  Between those and the baby toads, the yard is hopping with wee froglets!  It is impossible to take a single step without having a few underfoot.  Fortunately, they seem to be able to flatten themselves enough that a simple footstep does not harm them.  The shoe has to be twisted into the dirt before they have problems.  My soft, leather moccasins seem to do no damage but, just to be on the safe side, I step lightly. The little froglets climb up on anything handy during this stage of their life.  My waterlilies and water hyacinths seem to be a fine perching point for the change to occur.  At any given time, hundreds of little froggies can be observed in the water plants if you know where to look. The green tree frogs' color gives them the perfect camouflage while on the leaves.  If one did not know that the frogs were climbing onto the plants, they might be passed unseen..at least by humans.

  I watched as the little froglets left the safety of the Frog Pond to climb upon the lily pads.  Mostly, this even went smoothly.  The froglets were able to rest and finish their change from tadpole to full frog in the warm sunshine.  One, however, met with danger right at the beginning!  Poor little froglet chose the wrong water hyacinth as its perch.  It climbed up the first stalk to be met face to face by a wolf spider!  Granted this was a smallish spider but it still would have made a meal of such a tiny frog! The froggy spied the spider and immediately slipped back into the water.  Froggy then chose a different hyacinth to use as his exit spot. Meanwhile, the spider sat quite still as it awaited another meal to make its way onto the hyacinth.  Froggy was safe for the time being.  Once he climbed onto the leaf, he sat still to warm in the sun before making the full exit from the pond.  This path led him up the stalk of a Spiderwort plant onto the wisteria vine.  From there he made his way to the top of the arbor to hide beneath the vines until nightfall.  

  Out of the thousands of baby frogs and toads that exit the Frog Pond, a good many will fall prey to such things as this spider.  Predators are many when you are so tiny but tiny or not, the frogs and toads are predators themselves.  They rid the gardens of myriads of bugs!  Love my froggies!



 

Lovely..only in appearance!

It is funny how sometimes something so pretty can be so ugly.  Outward appearances can often conceal a very disturbing inner self.  Take in point the Water Hyacinth.  Just this past June, I pulled nigh on a hundred of the plants from my little Frog Pond.  These plants all multiplied from a single floater that was pulled from the marsh by Mark.  He did the Bayou a huge favor by swiping that plant!  I was delighted to toss the plant into the Frog Pond since Water Hyacinths make a lovely bloom.  They also make a very lovely mess!  Michael and I have spent the last few rain-less days cleaning the yard.  The month or so of every day moisture turned the yard into something that was fast resembling a tangled jungle!  Every plant that was not consumed by grasshoppers or rabbits was growing with wild abandon.  Today, I ventured to the pond..Ugh!  I just wanted to check on the baby American Tree Frogs that I knew were morphing from tadpoles to their little froggy selves.  I found them alright but also found that my neglect of the pond during the rainy season was a mistake!  Water Hyacinths had taken over the entire pond!  The Water Lilies and Elephant Ears were struggling to hold onto their small space!  It was not a pretty sight.

I am sure the tiny frogs appreciated the extra coverage while they climbed from the water but some of these things are just going to have to become part of the compost pile!  It fully amazed me that back in the shaded corner the hyacinths had reached a height of nearly three feet with their bulbous stalks being about the size of a goose egg!  Wow!  These things were huge!  This started me thinking about how I could benefit from the rapid reproduction of the plants.  I could sell them!  Maybe...  Anyway, pricing the plants was easy.  A few searches of pond stores turned up prices ranging from three dollars to five dollars each!  Now considering I could probably produce about three thousand of these things each warm month of the year..(April through October here on the Bayou) that is a nice chunk of change!  My brain started churning the idea around a bit.  How can I get in the market of selling Water Hyacinths???

It astounds me that something so readily reproduced can sell for so much.  Not to mention that these things are virtually impossible to eradicate!  The more you pull from a pond, the more spring up to clog the water.  This is the same thing that happens when careless folks dump their extras in creeks, streams, rivers and yes, even salt water marshes.  It is not a pretty thing.  Once the waterway is clogged with the ever-growing and multiplying hyacinths, the natural vegetation dies.   If the natural flora of an area dies, the natural fauna is not far behind thus the death of a creek, river or salt marsh.  This thing of beauty can be quite ugly..and deadly.  Now...back to the idea..perhaps I shall only sell them to responsible people!  And make them sign a contract saying they will not dump their extra plants into the Bay!

A Healthy Pond is a Happy Pond!

The Frog Pond is alive and well.  This morning after cutting the grass, I ventured back to the pond to view the Water Hyacinths that are blooming profusely.  Yes, these are the same Water Hyacinths that are invasive if allowed to expand beyond the confines of this little pond.  I am careful not to let any escape!  I watch for seeds and never...never allow any to be moved to the Bayou.  There the plant could possibly multiply in mass quantities and clog the waterways.  That would mean an end to the Bayou as I know it.  Actually, the plants that I have growing in the Frog Pond were lifted from the marsh.  Mark saw one lone plant that some not so eco-careful person dumped into the Bay.  He scooped up the plant..like any good steward of the waters should..and brought it home.  While he had intentions of just bringing me an interesting plant, he did a fine service to the welfare of the Bay and Bayou.  In a matter of three years, that one plant has multiplied into probably seven hundred!  My Frog Pond is far too small to house seven hundred of anything other than tadpoles so each spring, I pull all but five plants from the water.  The dislocated plants are composted as fertilizer for the vegetable garden.  There they can do no harm!

As I admired the beautiful blooms of the Water Hyacinths, I noticed that the Water Lilies are also doing quite well. The lily pads are dark green and quite lush.  A lone yellow bloom sat beneath the tall-stemmed leaves.  A number of tiny American Green Tree Frogs were perched here and there on the stalks and leaves of both the lilies and hyacinths.  This is the whole purpose of the Frog Pond..to give these tiny amphibians a place to lay their eggs and then for the little ones to mature enough to keep the cycle going.  The frogs eat so many bugs!

Other bug-eaters were out in full force, too.  Dragonflies were hovering above the pond.  They, too, will lay their eggs in the cool water under the lily pads.  There is enough underwater cover to give them shelter from any predators.  Although, the nymphs, themselves, are probably the most voracious predators in the pond!  These small critters will eat their way through a billion or so mosquito nymphs during their stay in the pond.  Once they mature enough to crawl out and become full-fledged dragonflies, they will continue to dine upon flying insects.

Speaking of underwater coverage, Michael pulled another pond plant from the Bay last summer. He observed a strange non-Bay plant floating about near the pier and scooped it out for me.  This plant was none other than a Coontail.  It is a great plant to have in the pond as it provides a feeding spot for most critters.  Good snag, Michael!  What started as a single sprig of maybe ten inches has grown to fill the bottom of the pond!  This plant oxygenates the pond as well as providing protection for tiny critters.

I am quite happy that the pond is doing so well with both flora and fauna.  A healthy pond is a sign of a healthy environment.  The Frog Pond with its plants, turtles, frogs, toads, dragonflies and water beetles is quite the ecosystem in itself!  It is great to know that it has developed into such a happy place!

The Purple Pond!

The Frog Pond is just your every day normal pond but with a few plants added for aesthetic value.  Each year some odd plant will come into my possession and if it is able to withstand soggy roots, will wind up in the pond.  The small pond has Irises, Elephant Ears, Water Lilies, Water Hyacinths and a bunch of Blue Pickerels.  I like the assorted plants and usually there is a vast variety of colors.  Not this summer!  For some odd reason only one yellow Water Lily has bloomed..all the rest of the plants are blooming in shades of purple!  My Frog Pond has truly turned into a Purple Pond!

Earlier in the spring I had taken a picture of the Wisteria blossoms that had fallen in the Frog Pond.  Those floating petals had coated the entire surface of the pond.  It looked like a carpet of purple!  Now the blooms are higher but still in shades of purple!  The Water Hyacinths are taking over the pond but the blooms are so beautiful that I hate to discard the plants.  It is rare that I see these blooming so profusely and I am quite sure that a good many will have to soon find their way to the compost pile.  Hopefully, none will be blooming at the time as I will absolutely never be able to trash such a pretty plant!

The Blue Pickerel, itself, is multiplying like mad and I am beginning think that I am going to have to "share" a bit of this or it will be destined to the compost pile as well.  Mark bought me one tiny root earlier this year but now the stuff has outgrown its section of the pond and is spilling over on top of the water lilies!  This is the plant of choice of the dragonfly nymphs as they climb from the water to make their transformation from water bound critters to those that have freedom of flight.  The stems of the Blue Pickerel are tall and fit the bill well as a hanging spot for the nymphs.   Obviously, the bumblebees and honeybees like the Pickerels as well as the dragonflies!   

I keep thinking that it would be a beautiful sight to have the pink, yellow and white Water Lilies, the deep violet Irises and the yellow Elephant Ears all blooming amid the Water Hyacinths and Blue Pickerels but for some reason, they are not.  None but one..one lone yellow Water Lily made its debut and that is it!  Still, I am happy with my Purple Frog Pond!

The Frog Pond is hopping!

With all of the rain that has fallen in the past week, the Frog Pond is quite the active place..hehe..you could say it was "Hopping"!  Still not feeling the best, I decided to follow "doctor's orders" and be lazy.  Well, I just could not stay inside so I went to check the pond for any recent additions.  Sure enough just as I imagined, there were tons of new eggs!  Every night, the American Green Tree Frogs have been calling with their high-pitched chirps and the American Toads with their shrill tunes.  (Seems as if I have an "All American Frog Pond..how patriotic can you get??)  Numerous tadpoles of various sizes already filled the pond so unless they get a move on and grow up, the area will be overrun!   As I was peering into the depths of the water, I noticed that the strings of toad eggs were wrapped through and around the Water Hyacinths.  Uh-oh...that was not supposed to happen!  Not the fact about the toad eggs..the Water Hyacinths being plural...as in they were multiplying!

A little toad visiting the Frog Pond!

About a month ago, Mark brought me a single Water Hyacinth that he found floating in the Bay.  He knows that I always like to keep the Frog Pond supplied with lots of plants as this gives the critters places to hide from any predators.  I told him that I would keep the Hyacinth in check and not give in to its wishes to take over the pond.  Ha!  Too late!  I had no idea that it would multiply this quickly!  Of course in all fairness, I have not been particularly observant of any outdoor activities of late so it has been over a week since I last checked!  I had the thought of ripping the Hyacinth from the pond but that meant I would kill a goodly number of "future" toads.  The Hyacinths will stay for now.

Water Hyacinths in mass production!  

Water Hyacinths can be highly invasive since they are one of the fastest growing plants.  They can double their population every two weeks clogging waterways and choking out any other aquatic plants!  I would definitely have to pull and discard some but that will have to wait until I feel a bit better.  Struggling with a rake at this point seems a bit strenuous!  The good news?  The Hyacinths are floaters making harvesting them relatively easy.  They have bulbous stalks that keep the whole plant afloat.  The roots hang down into the water gathering nutrients to feed the plant.

A closeup of some of the strings of toad's eggs wrapped around the Water Hyacinth's roots.

The bad news..I gave a single plant to my sister for her Dragonfly Pond a couple of weeks ago.  I do suppose I should contact her.  Perhaps she should keep an eye on her pond just in case she has an overactive Water Hyacinth, too!