The Old Folks Home

[Cynthia12]

It's raining!

It is the first significant rain in several weeks. My frog tadpoles have already morphed into mini frogs, but my toad tadpoles have been threatened by drying up vernal pools. Anyone know why toads, at least around here, breed so much later than frogs? Being the nut that I am, I have been carrying buckets of water to replenish the pools.

This rain will be their (and my) salvation.

Yaay for rain! We also got dumped on yesterday, had a bit of a thunderstorm. DH and I just snuggled up on the couch in front of our big front window and watched the rain come down, and the lightening. It was great. We couldn't even see the mountains because the clouds were so low. Then, when the sky cleared, this is what I saw from my back door. A cloud blanket over this mountain.

 

[chickadoodles]

What a beautiful view!

 

[Bunnylady]

It's raining!

It is the first significant rain in several weeks. My frog tadpoles have already morphed into mini frogs, but my toad tadpoles have been threatened by drying up vernal pools. Anyone know why toads, at least around here, breed so much later than frogs? Being the nut that I am, I have been carrying buckets of water to replenish the pools.

This rain will be their (and my) salvation.

Any idea what species of frog you are dealing with? Breeding seasons vary with the species.

Critter worked as the naturalist at a state park for a couple of summers while we were in college. He still has a lot of the resources he used then, including a tape of the calls of most of the frogs and toads that are found in the eastern US. It's kind of fun to be able to identify the frog/toad that you can't see, just by his voice!

 

[sourland]

The early breeders and quick growers were spring peepers and, I think, green head frogs. The toads followed by nearly a month. The 'toad puddle' dried up so I moved them to the 'frog puddles' where they have been rapidly growing as the puddles have been rapidly shrinking. This is a good rain - the puddles will fill, and I think they will have time to morph into toadlets.

 

[Bunnylady]

One of the later breeders locally is the Spadefoot Toad. They prefer those warm vernal pools. In more westerly parts of the country, the Spadefoot tadpoles come in two forms: herbivorous and carnivorous. The carnivorous tadpoles are cannibals. They grow faster than the herbivores, so if any make it out of the drying puddles, it's them.

 

[drumstick diva]

oh gosh if I'm not afraid of enough things now I have to worry about carnivorous tadpoles. I'm staying in the house till the snow comes back

 

[superchemicalgirl]

oh gosh if I'm not afraid of enough things now I have to worry about carnivorous tadpoles. I'm staying in the house till the snow comes back

We're finally going to get rain the next few days. We haven't had any precipitation since the snow a few weeks ago. We're starting to get small brush and mulch fires. I'm tired of watering things. We need a good soaking.

 

[Cynthia12]

 

[sourland]

Now, that's cute even to a taciturn old man.

 

[Cynthia12]

You consider yourself tacitun? Well, I know that I'm the opposite! Don't get me started on certain subjects...lol..children, grandchildren, and chickens being a few. And, if you I get going on how my DH and I met. Pretty awesome.