Autumn Frog Rescue

[johnnycakes]

I have a small two-tiered water garden made up from the rocks with which New England soil is loaded.
The garden has a small waterfall and in the larger bottom pool I planted water lilies, pickerel weed and during the summer heat ,some volunteer clouds of algae showed up
.
Every year we get a green frog or two who take up residence in the little pond but this year we had about nine all rather small, 2-4 inches in body size.

This year as I do every year I get a bucket with a lid and a small child's fish net on a pole, catch the frogs and take them to a pond nearby where they can survive the winter by burying themselves in the muddy bottom.

I got six of them yesterday and after coming back from the pond saw two more out sunning themselves by the garden side so I'll have to make at least one more rescue/trip before the winter closes in and kills them.

They've been colorful and welcome additions to the garden and I look forward to seeing them next spring.

[loops]

Re: Autumn Frog Rescue

so i take it your water garden doesn't have a natural bottom, but a liner that would prevent the froggies from living there thru the winter?

[ColeS]

Re: Autumn Frog Rescue

My New England Soil has no rocks Atleast in the small patch that I have.
I had to use some sea stones I gathered from some ponds over the years to make up a small rock garden.

I like that idea of a frog pond though ...

[johnnycakes]

Re: Autumn Frog Rescue

loops,

You have it right.
I used some extra pieces of rubber roofing for my pool liners and the frogs have no mud or much water depth in which to protect themselves from the winter cold.

More fascinating is that tree frogs up here actually freeze partially but have a natural anti-freeze in them that keeps them from totally freezing and dying. They go into a state much like suspended animation and thaw out when the spring warm weather comes.

There are pictures of frosty semi-frozen frogs on the web you can see if you Goggle "How do frogs survive the winter"

[johnnycakes]

Re: Autumn Frog Rescue

Coless,

When the last Ice Age advanced and retreated it pretty much scoured the topsoil and ground up all the mountainous big boulder into the glacial moraine that passes for soil in New England.

The New England countryside is dotted with stone walls built when farmers in the colonial days cleared land and prepared it for planting during which process large rocks had to be removed and put somewhere.

The Connecticut River valley seems to have escaped that scouring and has very fertile soil in which the famous shade-grown tobacco used for cigar wrappers is grown but otherwise most of New England has very rocky soil in which rocks and boulders are constantly coming to the surface in a process that , I believe, has something to do with water pressure.
I know that new rocks are constantly coming up in the acre or so that I keep clear.

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Autumn Frog Rescue

The interesting phenomena is that frogs being cold blooded and living in temperate/frigid zones have the ability similar to trees that defoliates in the winter.

They hare able to increase the sugar content of their body fluids, which protect their tissues from the effects of low temperature, and also induces a sort of animated suspension.

So they will be able to serve for the most part even in freezing conditions.
The advantage with the sugar in the tissue, is that it prevents the temperature from falling below fatal levels. <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: loops</div><div class="ubbcode-body">so i take it your water garden doesn't have a natural bottom, but a liner that would prevent the froggies from living there thru the winter?

</div></div>

[julie*mango]

Re: Autumn Frog Rescue

I did notice an increase in frogs this year in the pond but unlike you I do not like these visitors. One was plenty but the noise all of them made at night time was getting to me.

[julie*mango]

Re: Autumn Frog Rescue

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: johnnycakes</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
The Connecticut River valley seems to have escaped that scouring and has very fertile soil in which the famous shade-grown tobacco used for cigar wrappers is grown but otherwise most of New England has very rocky soil in which rocks and boulders are constantly coming to the surface in a process that , I believe, has something to do with water pressure.
I know that new rocks are constantly coming up in the acre or so that I keep clear. </div></div>

Funny you should say that as I live near the river. Our soil is very rich and fertile but this year is the first that I have not gotten anything from the garden due to the high amount of rainfall we have been getting over the spring and summer. Otherwise we get good crops here. Also in this area are a lot of aquifers. You seem to be interested in geology. Do you know what the watershed is like up by you?

[ColeS]

Re: Autumn Frog Rescue

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: johnnycakes</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Coless,

When the last Ice Age advanced and retreated it pretty much scoured the topsoil and ground up all the mountainous big boulder into the glacial moraine that passes for soil in New England.

The New England countryside is dotted with stone walls built when farmers in the colonial days cleared land and prepared it for planting during which process large rocks had to be removed and put somewhere.

The Connecticut River valley seems to have escaped that scouring and has very fertile soil in which the famous shade-grown tobacco used for cigar wrappers is grown but otherwise most of New England has very rocky soil in which rocks and boulders are constantly coming to the surface in a process that , I believe, has something to do with water pressure.
I know that new rocks are constantly coming up in the acre or so that I keep clear. </div></div>

May have to dig in other parts of the small garden to see if I find some rocks. but dat a next year ting

[johnnycakes]

Re: Autumn Frog Rescue

Funny but my frogs didn't sing at all.
They just sit there looking all Kermit like hoping I'll toss them a worm.

As for geology, I have just the normal interest but do know that the bulk of the water for eastern Massachusetts comes from the huge man-made Quabbin Reservoir some 100 miles west of Boston.

That water doesn't reach the town I live in and up until about three years ago we had a dug well that went down about 25 feet and which dried up in two dry summers in a row so we had an artesian well drilled.

The drillers went down 490 feet and came in to tell us that once they hit 500 feet they would have to &quot;frac&quot; ; that is drop an explosive charge down the pipe and fracture the rock at 500 feet and allow the watyer to flow through the cracked rock up the pipe. This cost a bunch more money so we weren't happy but at 495 feet they hit more water than we';d ever use.

That all went well until the sinks and toilets started turning brown from the water.

It turns out that the water in the area is loaded with both iron and manganese which stains everything.

SO,.... we had to install a water softener/filter which runs on treated salt and which takes out the iron and manganese and makes the water both soft-(no minerals) and as good in quality as spring water.

The entire project cost about $6000.00 total but now we can use as much water as we need without much cost regardless of the water bans that go into effect for others on town pipe water and we do not pay a water bill.
Putting in water pipes and getting town water wouldn't have been much cheaper if we could get it and then we'd have to pay a water bill. forever after that.

[Suesumba]

Re: Autumn Frog Rescue

interesting tutorial

[johnnycakes]

Re: Autumn Frog Rescue

SueSumba,

I have to get to read Dorothy Parker's stuff and a bit more of the literature of that era.

I believe it was her who was quoted on this exchange:

A beautiful young starlet and Dorothy Parker both approached a doorway at the same time and the BYS allowed Dorothy Parker to go in first saying: &quot;Age before beauty&quot; to which Dorothy Parker replied: &quot;and pearls before swine&quot;.

Yes, I definitely have to get into some of that acerbic wit.

[Nanook]

Re: Autumn Frog Rescue

I have my own well with hard mineral water from clay so I have to go the water softener route or my clothes would have a red tint.

Anyway, pretty much everyone I know would take the frogs fishing and use them for bait to catch some nice Walleyes to add to their freezers for winter. Everyone but me because I wouldn't hurt the frogs and I don't eat fish.

I just leave my yard frogs be. If they make it back to my creek without one of my dogs getting them or a bird, they know where to go.

[Suesumba]

Re: Autumn Frog Rescue

J.C. excellent repartee (with that accent and all). i definitely could stand a beer with you.

[johnnycakes]

Re: Autumn Frog Rescue

A beer maybe but after one or two I'll wind up wearing that hat but I am not going to share that cigar with you.

Accent?
You can catch an accent from what I write?
Or am I missing something here?

I do have something of a Boston accent but not as thick as most of the locals and definitely not the Kennedy way of talking that so many associate with the area.

Pahk the cah in the Hahvahd yahd.