Cope’s Gray Tree Frog (Hyla chrysoscelis) apparently lays larger clutches than I have seen in the past. Previously, all the clutches I observed were smaller and broken up into different clumps separated by floating vegetation. I speculated that was because the mating parents were avoiding the larger Green Frogs. I’m not sure why the eggs… Continue reading Frog Eggs: Cope’s Gray Tree Frog (Hyla chrysoscelis)
Videos of Tadpoles Swimming in Experiment Tank #6
At the bottom of this post are two videos of tadpoles of the Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans) swimming in experiment tank #6. One video is from June 27, 2022, and the second is from June 30. Juvenile Green Frogs have laid several clutches of eggs in all eight experiment tanks. Cope’s Gray Tree Frogs (Hyla… Continue reading Videos of Tadpoles Swimming in Experiment Tank #6
Biodiversity and Ecological Value
At least half of my time tending the pollinator meadow is spent removing invasive evergreen seedlings: monkey grass (liriope), Japanese privet, wintercreeper, English ivy. These plants might not feed most insects and other animals, but birds love the seeds and poop them all over creation. The problem is that these plants displace native species that… Continue reading Biodiversity and Ecological Value
Pollinator Meadow vs Garden
The ancestors made their gardens only in the rich damp soils of the bottom lands around rivers and creeks. My yard is mostly clay and sand and is well up the hill from a creek. Growing most vegetables would require unsustainable and wasteful irrigation using water from the municipal water supply which is taken from… Continue reading Pollinator Meadow vs Garden
Tadpoles Swimming 2018
Here is a video of tadpoles swimming in the first pond in its third month of existence. I incorrectly identified these as tree frog tadpoles, which I now know to be smaller. Based on countless observations over the past four years, I am fairly certain that the tadpoles in this video are those of the… Continue reading Tadpoles Swimming 2018
Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad (Gastrophryne carolinensis) mating calls June 2022
Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad (Gastrophryne carolinensis) mating calls June 2022 in the second pond at Yalobusha Farms. This is the third year for the second pond, and the katniss and pennywort and pickerelweed are well established. Last year I let the second pond be overwhelmed with water hyacinth because it allows tree frogs to enter and… Continue reading Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad (Gastrophryne carolinensis) mating calls June 2022
Tadpoles Swimming in Tank 6
The tadpoles shown here are Green Frogs (Lithobates clamitans) in tank 6. As of tonight, all eight experiment tanks have many tadpoles and eggs, with the past week seeing many clutches of eggs being laid by Cope’s Gray Tree Frogs (Hyla chrysoscelis).
Mosquitofish Ponds
The ponds at Yalobusha farms produce many tadpoles, especially Green Frogs (Lithobates clamitans) and Cope’s Gray Tree Frogs (Hyla chrysoscelis) and the Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad (Gastrophryne carolinensis). The ponds are also host to many larvae of the blue dasher dragonflies (Pachydiplax longipennis), which swarm over the katniss and chase each other around the ponds. BUT,… Continue reading Mosquitofish Ponds
Digging the Second Pond
In 2020, I dealt with the stress of running my business during the pandemic by digging a second tadpole pond. Why a Second Pond? For the first ten years I owned the property, my back yard was an ordinary lawn of St. Augustine with fairly low ecological value. The first pond was small, but it… Continue reading Digging the Second Pond
Tree Frogs Mating On Warm May Night 2019
Down below is some audio of tree frogs singing intensely at Yalobusha Farms in Decatur, Georgia on a warm May night in 2019. The picture above is from the daytime a few days ago, and it shows the irises blooming at the far left and all the vegetation surging back. The tadpole pond at is… Continue reading Tree Frogs Mating On Warm May Night 2019