Who let the frogs out? - Part 2

Wow, how cool is that, SW!

I am totally at a loss about what happened to my little frogs. I haven't seen or heard anything since Feb. 5th, and just don't know what happened. I had a friend bring me a present though....tadpoles :-). I have them outside in an aquarium and will release them as they turn into frogs, as I did last year with the last batch. I sure wish I knew I what happened to the last batch of frogs though, as I'd feel badly if I'm just sending these ones to their deaths.

sunnyg, Where was the first batch of tadpoles? Maybe they became part of the food chain. Just do what you did last year. I'm sure with your recent weather they've been laying more eggs, and there will be more tadpoles. Just go and check it out every day or so and see what develps.
Sure are neat to watch grow up.
WIB,
SW

Thanks SW, I hope that's what happened. I haven't seen any eggs, and barely heard any croaks at all this year. I raised the tadpoles in an aquarium last year (fish in the pond probably would have thought they were a tasty snack), and released each one into the garden near the pond when it became a frog. It was great fun...naming them, monitoring their progress, photographing them, and then releasing them. I would see them periodically over the summer, as well as the frogs we released as well. I live in a townhouse with a tiny "yard," which was pretty much devoid of life when we moved in, so this is all new stuff. I am wracking my brain trying to figure out what went wrong, and I have a feeling you're right and they just became somebody's dinner.

They could be burrowing too. They tend to build burrows and dig underground during the cold winter months. I evicted three from a burrow the gophers left in the gh, yesterday. One was huge, it was like a Papa toad, a mama toad and a baby toad. The baby rode on the biggest toads back when I released them into the pond.
I have to go for now.
They'll be back. ^_^
WIB,
SW

Oh how cute! Toads are so great for bug/slug control too :-)

I had to shut off our water for a repair, the faucet is deep in the ground and when I went to put the tool in to turn it I noticed something staring up at me. Had to clear the hole of two frogs first. LOL

They do tend to take advantage of pre-existing holes to nest in. I've always liked them, and I'll quit evicting them from the gh if they eat slugs and snails. I think they find their way back into the gh anyway.
Out front in the the water featured posted above, I have pollywogs. Today I discovered at least one of the parents. Here's the mug shot. Remember this because of the one that follows.

I apologize for the poor quality of this photo. Look carefully at the green patch under Mr. Toad's chin. It's hard to see, but he balloons it out when he croaks. I heard a huge loud, croak tonight out in the front yard, and was wondering if he had made a reappearance. I never expected to see him all blown up. My camera's setting for night landscape, flashed and scared him into the water. So I was only able to get the one shot. I'll have to figure out how to take better night photos with my camera.
Still pretty cool though!
WIB!
SW

Great shot SW! I was stuck in an airport in Martinique for 4 hrs one time and made it a mission to find one of the frogs that croak unceasingly there. Took me 2 1/2 hrs, finally found the tiny little thing and watched it for the remaining time blowing itself up almost as big as it's body. It was great!

Ah!! Another person who is easily amused! ^_^
Did you take pictures, Sally?
Persistence (read that as stubborness) pays! LOL!
Really didn't expect anything but I was hoping! I couldn't actually see him when I took the picture. Sure surprised him too. Probably blinded the poor amphibian!
WIB!
SW

I'll have to go back and look, that was pre digital days. I went through there on a fairly regular basis for work and heard them all the time. Just made up my mind I wanted to see what was making all that noise, I was shocked at how small they were.

Maybe the flash was made him croak!! LOL

Naw, he is still out there singing his love songs! Here's a photo of my olympic swimmer. Taking the advice of someone from another thread, I've been retrieving the little swimmer from my pool, and placing him where I've been having trouble with slugs and snails in the gh.
WIB!
SW

He looks like a leopard frog, maybe?

hey ima - was on my way back from Carmel this afternoon and shouted "Hey Ima" out the window at 12:26 as we passed through Gilroy- did you hear me? (my kids thought I was losing it, again)

ima, Maybe, didn't see him today. Hope he is getting fat on slugs and snails.
Red, I do that all the time too. No one hears, except the kids, and they are getting used to my foibles. Unless I do them in front of their friends. Then they are embarrassed. I love doing that to the kids! ^_^
WIB!
SW

Red, that explains SOOO much! I believe I was power-washing the dead eucalyptus stump that I want to turn into a garden feature at about that time (HAHAHA----my losing it can beat up your losing it...LOL!)

Our son doesn't even get embarrassed any more; he just rolls his eyes and chalks my behaviour off to "old-timer's disease".

This little guy was enjoying sun today.

And here is big mama again. She like to hide in the muck!

Mr. toad is also enjoying the sun today!

bea is that a REAL toad? It looks like ceramic...LOL!

I'm jealous. The only time we see our frogs is when DH opens up one of the filters or pumps for maintenance. :-(
Thanks for posting these photos or I would think the croaks I hear are just echoes!

those are cute, I miss the little green frogs we'd get in Oregon. I've seen one here on our shed, and a little lizard.

ima, do you have to dig out the stump? I had to laugh that you were powerwashing a stump, that is right up my alley! And why do some Californians hate eucs?

From what I've read, Eucs crowd out native trees and are really bad in wildfires (they can/do explode because of the high oil content). They're also considered rather messy to some folks. They were introduced to build railroad ties - then they realized the fire hazard - but they reproduced at a fast rate. Not a BAD tree, just in the wrong place, as so often happens.

I'm not digging out the stump. It's going to be yard art eventually. I posted this thread in the Garden Art forum asking for ideas:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/884976/

The crew that was here last fall doing my back landscaping projects spent an entire day digging out the willow stump I had deep-watered so carefully. I think they were thrilled that I wanted to leave the euc stump.

We have a pie-shaped end-of-the-cul-de-sac lot. We share fences with 5 different neighbors. The euc and the willow were planted before 2 of the houses were even built, but one of the neighbors started bugging us about our trees almost the day he moved in. Then when we got new neighbors in the lot next to him and THEY started bugging us about them, I finally just decided it wasn't worth the hassle. Plus I had never intended the euc to be permanent---it was just supposed to be there till the willow matured. So now I have neither. But I have a pretty green Japanese maple that fills in a part of the space, and a baby Acer Vitifolium that will fill in the rest when it grows up. The neighbors will still have to deal with the fall leaves in their swimming pool, but that's too bad. Their swimming pool wasn't my idea.

I think a lot of Californians don't like eucs because they've gotten bad press, and because people often don't take proper care of them.

okay, well thanks for the education - all seem like good reasons, I've always thought they were so pretty .

Your neighbors clearly need something to do besides bossing you around - so the leaves will keep them busy. ; D

I'm off to look at your link now.

ima, that is a cool stump - I like the idea of lighting up under the roots - can't wait to see how this big boy turns out !

I'm off to be a farmer-girl

Loved your toads, Beahive.
Stump art is awesome.
WIB,
SW

Got a couple of photos to share. Found this little fellow in the gf/turtle pond.

This will give you a better idea of the size of the frog. Notice the two small bees in the lower right hand corner of the photo.

Used the macro, looking for leg development on the pollywogs in the gf/turtle pond. Will get rid of the algae after they have hopped away.
WIB,
SW

Nice pics!! They have the prettiest patterns.

SW..Love the frogs & bee's!

SW - that little frog is really cute

So cute! He looks like the Pacific Tree Frogs I had here last summer.

Jake, a friend of ours spotted him, and he said it was a Pacific Tree Frog, so I think you are right. You'll probably have some this summer too. Usually you don't see them on the lily pads, but you noticed that he was in the shade. Still looking for legs to form. DH has a load of bees which makes it more difficult to get close. Poor bees are just after water to cool off their hives, but they distract me.
I'm thinking of sneaking out there tonight when the chorus gets pretty loud and trying for a photo of the frog all puffed out again. Might have to wait though.
I'll keep you posted.
WIB,
SW

Sally suggested that I post a few new pictures of my big mama!

She was looking adorable today!

Here she is facing forward for the camera.

Now a little sexy head tilt and a smile!

And last but not least ..the head shot!!
Maybe she will be the next super star frog model! I would love to
be able to dress her in pretty clothes. I suppose she would need wide width shoes for those webbed feet! LOL!

She is a cutie!

BeaHive,
I'm so glad you listened to Sally. I was going to suggest it myself after seeing big mama on the macro thread. She is full of personality. I can see the false eyelashes and lipstick on her pretty face, especially in that last photo! LOL!
As you know, I love your photos, keep 'em coming.
WIB,
SW