2 Comments

Party in the Wetlands Last Night

If I didn’t know any better, and I don’t, I’d say that the bullfrogs had a party in the Wetlands last night. With the temperatures in the seventies, and even eighties, this week it looks like the frogs have extended their breeding season. While most of the other dozen or so species of frogs and toads that breed in our little Wetlands have been put to bed or at least on break (I did hear spring peepers calling last week andRead more

You never know what you’ll catch…

The Sixspotted Fishing Spider (Dolomedes Triton) in the photo caught itself a heavy meal from its perch atop a lotus pad. To give some idea of the size of the spider, the tadpole was about two inches in length. By the way, the “sixspotted” part of the common name refers to six black spots on the underside of the spider, not the white spots on the abdomen.Read more

The Great Tadpole Rescue

During the last week in November I noticed a group of tadpoles individually surfacing and then quickly submerging in the murky water in the northwest corner of the Wetlands. There’s a pipe in that corner of the Wetlands which drains the higher ground above it. I’m not sure why this area is popular with tadpoles but the attraction must surely be related to the pipe; the same type of activity (a collection of tadpoles huddled together in this tiny corner ofRead more

Forgs, Turtles, and a Green Snake

Green Frogs seemed more vocal this period than in previous weeks. Northern Cricket Frogs can still be heard in the Wetlands, although with less frequency. Many Bullfrog tadpoles have morphed into adults during the past few weeks, evidenced by the dozens of miniature Bullfrogs poking their little heads above the water of the Wetlands. Yellow-bellied Turtles continue to venture out of the water to lay eggs. One was seen heading home after depositing her eggs on the north side ofRead more

Egg-laying Turtles, new Toads, and Treefrog Time!

I spotted two Yellow-bellied Turtles out of the water and hiking the paths around the Wetlands looking for a place to lay eggs. One of these large females was in the process of digging a hole for the eggs when I came upon her. If you happen to see a tiny brown-gray creature hopping along the path in Explore the Wild or Catch the Wind, take a closer look. The offspring of the American Toads that bred in the WetlandsRead more

A Little Brown Snake, Calling Frogs, and Stewed Turtles

A small Brown Snake delighted a group of schoolchildren as it attempted to cross the paved path just below the Lemur House. The tiny snake, unable to gain traction on the relatively smooth macadam to propel itself forward, kept sliding sideways down the path as it wriggled along in high gear. With much effort, and a little coaxing by me, it finally made it to the side of the path and disappeared into the grass. Northern Cricket Frogs are callingRead more

Tadpole Activity?

I, and several Museum Staff and Guests, noticed a swarm of Bullfrog tadpoles at the northwest corner of the Wetlands during the first part of December. Water is flowing through a pipe and emptying into the water at that corner of the Wetlands. Tadpoles had collected around the pipe in large numbers. I can’t say what they were doing, but it seemed as though they were feeding on something coming out of the pipe. Or, perhaps the water coming fromRead more