For the last few days, I’ve looked for the two frogs in the yard and found nothing but slugs and beetles in the usual places. Disappointed, I decided to give up looking and just hope they survive to produce tadpoles next spring (assuming they are not both males or females of course). And, giving myself something to do instead, I focused on adding plants to the now crystal clear water of the reinstated old pond and checking up on the newts in the new pond, using my new nets.
Newt in a net…
The pictures above show plants and cuttings from: 1) Eupatorium cannabinum (Hemp agrimony) with delicate fluffy pale lilac flowers standing tall above the water. 2) Calla palustris (Bog arum), a spreading plant which can be pollinated by snails. 3) Lysmachia ‘Sunburst’ saved from the original pond and now gently drifting into the water from among the stepping stones in several places. 4) Myriophyllum red stem (Parrot’s Feather) which floats delicately on the water surface and providing shade for pond life. I have also put in a few cuttings from existing plants. I’m not sure what they all are but I definitely included 5) Hippuris vulgaris (Mare’s Tail) which rises out of the water like wire bottle brushes and 6) Mentha aquatica (Water mint) which is irresistible. I can’t visit the pond without brushing my fingers against it for the lovely minty smell.
Still wondering if I can maintain the water level in the larger pond an inch or so higher than it now (to cover the liner fully all of the time), I investigated an area that seemed to be lower lying than other sections. Lifting up a small mossy boulder, a frog and I surprised each other. I took some video until I got too close for comfort and it jumped into the pond. I replaced the boulder carefully and then added some washed gravel that I had left over from the other pond work, covering up a bit of exposed liner behind the boulders.
Moving carefully back around the pond to leave, I disturbed another frog by brushing against the small box hedge border. This one leapt straight into the pond. Once I returned to the main slabbed viewing spot, I saw that it had swum to the other side and was perched with head above water at the edge.
Same frogs, different location?
After uploading the video and stills I’d taken, I spent some time wondering if these two are the same two frogs I’d been looking for in the yard. I can’t decide but they do look like the same pair. Either way, it’s good to know that full size frogs have found the water and know where to leave the spawn next year! On the other hand, I wonder how this will impact on the newt population. I’d much rather they concentrated on keeping down the slugs .
My final though for today is that these two frogs may not have grown from my tadpoles at all, but are likely to have travelled from local damp areas that have dried up or have too much competition for limited food sources. It’s puzzling that I had loads of froglets and tiny frogs, then a few this spring that seemed to have grown quite a bit. Then suddenly no sight of the smaller frogs and these two big ones appear. Suspicious?
FROG BLOG 