Frogs...You gotta love 'em

Some things never change...

2008-06-14T08:46:00.003-05:00

A lot has changed in my life since my last post...from broken to broke, loved to lost love, hardly working to working hard. But some things just never change. Just when you think the pond's half empty, you discover it's half full...of FROGS!!!

That eery sound of silence I had become accustomed to has recently been broken by a chorus of frogs right outside my window. I still have that little pond that gets no special attention from me except the occasional splash of water as this Georgia drought seems to suck the life out of everything.

The last thing I expected was a family of frogs to take up residence in that nearly-forgotten water garden they now call home. They must like the water lily that covers the surface with floating pads of green. The surrounding plantings now seem to provide a canopy of protection from predators, like the hawk that took one of my froggy friends two years ago...much to my dismay!

We should all be so lucky as to find a home full of love and nurture it wherever it grows. After all, it is the small things in life that bring us so much pleasure. Indeed, some things never change.

Pond Update

2006-07-29T18:36:00.000-05:00

I'm hopping with joy at the sight of yet another tiny frog in my little pond. That's two now. The lily pads are beautiful and my froggy friends use them like floats in the neighbor's swimming pool.

Tip: Encourage Toads & Frogs

2006-07-29T18:32:00.000-05:00

Frogs and toads eat garden insects. Invite them to your garden by placing inverted clay pots in shady spots with lots of foliage. Chip out a piece of the pot rim to give them an entrance to their home.

Source: National Gardening Association

No April Fool's joke here!

2006-04-01T23:47:00.000-05:00

It's been a month since the 'frognapping' incident. I'm thrilled to report that there still resides in my little pond at least one other frog who exhibits no ill effects from the recent 'home invasion' that took his little friend. I think I will plant something around the edge of the pond to give him some cover and protection from that eagle-eye hawk!

The good, the bad, the ugly

2006-03-01T18:03:00.000-05:00

I know Nature is a wonderful thing, but sometimes I just don't want to be witness to it. The unseasonably warm weather here in Atlanta enticed my little pond frog out to the edge for some much needed sun time. Much to my dismay, a hawk swooped down and, in the blink of an eye, snatched my little froggy friend from his home and left. Poor baby, he didn't have a chance. I'm just heart-broken.

If three's a crowd, what's four?

2006-01-02T15:18:00.000-05:00

Check out the other winners of National Wildlife’s 35th annual photography competition at www.nwf.org.

Toad-ally Dennis!

2005-12-19T23:24:00.000-05:00

Frog Watch Update

2005-08-06T18:03:00.000-05:00

It has been about a month since I spotted my new froggy friend enjoying my little outdoor pond. Much to my surprise, two days ago I was delighted to see not one but two little frogs sitting on the edge of the pond. They are about the same size, but still very small. It is difficult to get a picture of them together, but I was fortunate to get one close up.

Word of the Day

2005-07-17T11:17:00.000-05:00

"re·sil·ience (ri-zil'yns)
noun. The ability to recover quickly from illness, change, or misfortune; buoyancy."

Now to illustrate the resilience of frogs, I would like to share this personal story. Several years ago, I had a leopard frog that shared living quarters with two firebelly toads and two newts. One day my husband found the leopard frog completely lifeless in the tank. To spare me from this sad turn of events, he removed the limp-bodied frog and placed him in a ziploc bag and placed it in the garbage can in our garage.

Later that day, and it was a hot one, my husband carried some trash out to the can and, low and behold, there was the frog moving in the baggie! He quickly retrieved the poor frog from the garbage and returned him to his aquarium home where he lived for several more years, none the worse for wear! He was known as Baggie from that day forward.

Moral of the story: Let sleeping frogs lie.

It's a new day...

2005-07-07T14:18:00.000-05:00

It is my pleasure to announce the arrival of my newest froggy friend. I saw him for the first time today, sitting on the edge of my little pond. There he is, just to the left of the red heart.

The pond had been void of life since last year. I had allowed an overabundance of flora to take over, forcing the previous inhabitants out. With a lot of hard work, I removed the root bound plants, leaving only two water lilies. The days passed with no sign of frogs, but the water lilies are doing really well and, with some luck they will bloom again.

Then today I noticed the tiniest brown frog, no bigger than my thumb, sitting on the edge of my pond. I'll be watching with much curiosity.

Bug Bytes

2005-06-24T16:09:00.000-05:00

Listen up all you frog lovers out there. This summer is the perfect time to do something special for those little croakers and peepers we are all so crazy about. Last year I certified my frog pond area as an official Backyard Wildlife Habitat with the National Wildlife Federation. If you enjoy your own backyard wildlife habitat, why not share it with others and check out how you too can be a certified member of the National Wildlife Federation.

A frog in any language...

2005-06-01T11:59:00.000-05:00

Well, it's that time of year and the little buggers are in fine voice about now.We've all heard the varied peeps and croaks coming from the nearest pond, lake or stream. With summer fast approaching, our froggy friends are often seen moving outside their native habitat, as some of you may travel outside your country. What if you have to ask your Italian host about their native frogs? How do you say frog in Italian...or French, or Japanese? Worry no more, for I have found the answer to all these questions. Thanks to FROGLANDyou will learn how to say frog or toad in many languages,from Afrikaans to Zulu. How cool is that!

Best Frog Movie

2005-05-27T13:15:00.000-05:00

Here's my pick for the best frog movie of all time: Cannery Row. Who can forget the great frog hunt with Hazel up to his eyeballs in frogs! There are certain scenes from movies that are almost as classic as the movies themselves. The frog-hunt scene from Cannery Row ranks as one of those scenes with the wonderful swamp amphibian visuals.

Experience the Kentucky Derby of Frogdom

2005-05-02T16:01:00.000-05:00

Visit http://www.frogtown.org/ for coverage of the Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee, May 19-22, Calaveras County, CA.

If you like live Horned Toad Races then go to http://www.coalingachamber.com/derbyinfo.html for the latest on the Annual Horned Toad Derby held every Memorial Day, May 31st, in Coalinga, CA.

Visit Conway, AR. for the Annual Toad Suck Daze, held in May, http://www.toadsuck.org/ Enjoy music, arts and a food festival.

Hallelujah Chorus

2005-04-22T15:37:00.000-05:00

Say, what is it about loud sounds that seem to stimulate the vocal renderings of frogs? Three frogs that took up residence in our small pond delighted us with their own rendition of some popular music one evening. They seem to appreciate the contrasting sounds of "The Blues Brothers" and "Gladiator". Oddly enough their taste seems to run to the classical as well. Has anyone out there witnessed this phenomenon?

Third time's the charm

2005-04-20T14:01:00.000-05:00

It only took three years, but the Georgia Senate finally voted 50-0 to designate the green tree frog as Georgia's official state amphibian. But the tiny green tree frog, native to south Georgia, must still win over the House and the Governor. Credit must go to the students in a fourth-grade class in Rome, Georgia who proposed the official designation. Lets hope our little green friend finds his way into officialdom before the students, who are now in middle school, graduate!

Go for broke, or croak!

2005-02-01T01:47:00.000-05:00

For the third year in a row, Georgia lawmakers will consider whether green tree frogs should be designated as the official state amphibian. Did you know that only nine states have adopted an official state amphibian?
Is your state one of them?