A convention

Just as I was about to fill the pond back up the other day, I noticed this convention of baby frogs. It seems as if they have all gathered in the pond  - to hibernate perhaps? There have been hundreds of little leopard frogs in the grasses around the property, on the pathways when we walk, in the lawns and the gardens since about July.

Up until about three weeks ago it seemed there were only about six in the pond. Two huge green frogs, the granddaddy of all leopard frogs and three little guys - one a leopard frog and two greenies... so this convention showed me things were changing. If you look closely you can see them everywhere in the photograph. At one point there were a few on the back of three-legged turtle (it did have four legs, but a raccoon or cat dumped it into the pond and a leg must have come off in its ride to the bottom.)

For the first year of this pond, all I had was frogs. I remember counting them every morning. In the heat of the summer that year, the pond was well balanced ecologically and the water hyacinth covered its surface with beautiful lime green petals and glorious purple flowers. Since I've added the fish and with the tremendous heat this past year, the hyacinth haven't done so well, in large part because of the string algae I suspect... but the fish have grown.

Now that the frogs are settling in I kind of hope they'll go elsewhere to hibernate, in the gardens for example - because the pond isn't that deep and it will be hard for them to survive...but you never can tell Mother Nature what to do. So I suppose it's the luck of the draw.

Today it will be warmer than the drenching chilly sleety rain and winds of yesterday which prevented me getting any photos to post. So I'll check the pond, sweep out the sumach and other leaves that have lined the edges and the bottom, and once again, count the frogs.

I can't count the fish - they don't stay still. I only know I have the ones from last year much to my and everyone else's surprise - 7 big fat goldfish, and at least eight little ones...but the frogs tell the story. If cold weather is nigh, I likely will find little frogs basking for the last time on the rocky edges of the pond.

Hope you get time to bask in sunshine, or sit in a chair by a warm fire, or lie on a hot beach... just some time to stop and count whatever you wish - blessings perhaps?

The fish pond

My little pond has taken on its own life. This summer with the heat and the never-ending sun, and my love of feeding the fish, the algae has grown and is trying to take over.

Every couple of days I haul a number of the water hyacinth out of the pond and strip the string algae off the long roots. The fish flutter about while I do this and often I run some cold water into the pond at the same time. The fish go nuts and frolic in the stream, turning somersaults and flipping their tails which by the way are getting longer and prettier - Disney like even. Their colours - now that's like watching a bunch of neon signs flirting and flouncing around at the surface. Great fun to watch.

At the bottom of the pond in this photograph, you can see one of the tiny little fishes. They are awfully cute and I was so surprised to see the first one the other day. A friend told me yesterday that when they first hatch they are grey and blend in with the pond background. As they grow they begin to develop their colours...even the larger ones are starting show differences in their patterns and hues.

You can easily see the algae clinging to the rocks. I'll be in there pulling that off and maybe even taking the rocks out and scrubbing them next week.

You can also see the reflection of the back of my home and the huge tree that overhangs the drive shed in the surface water of the pond and the dappled sky - a mackerel sky my fishing friends would call it - perfect for catching those elusive trout, bass, and pickerel that we find in our northern lakes.

And there are other inhabitants of the pond:

Have a great weekend.... it's clear to me that my froggy and fishy friends will. Hope you enjoyed my bit of whimsy this morning - I often spend a few moments in the morning with a cup of coffee just enjoying nature's entertainment in my backyard. Hope there is something you enjoy each morning as well.

Hiding from the heat

As I said yesterday one of the best ways to hide from the heat is to be in or on water - on it so you can get in it. The dogs went swimming yesterday in a neighbouring pond and felt much better and I too went swimming. These three green frogs obviously enjoy the cooler water hiding among the water hyacinths... though at the end of the day when it starts to warm up - they're outta there... the water being too warm for amphibians to tolerate. The fish hide under the plants at the bottom of the pond.

Hope you have a wonderful day, that you are surviving, and that all your efforts to help keep the creatures hydrated with bowls and pans of water in your surroundings are rewarded by feeling good about what you've done to help. Stay cool!

Just the two of us

This is a common sight in the wee pond in my backyard...frogs on top of one another in a select spot. They are green frogs and love to bask in the sun. I often find three or four on top of one another on a plant above the water.

Sometimes they dangle, front legs anchoring them, with their heads poking out of the water, the rest of their bodies floating comfortably. They are fortunate that this pond is so tiny and in such a sheltered spot between the drive shed and the back deck. Great Blue Herons don't (so far) visit to go fishing or frogging.

The seven goldfish have grown over the year they have lived in the pond and now race for shade or cover when they see something above the water. I suspect the raccoons have gone swimming searching for a fish dinner and I know the cats patrol the edges hopefully. The frogs leap into the water when they wander around the rocks and dive under the little umbrella fountain or hide in the remains of the leaves slowly disintigrating from last fall.

Two frogs didn't make it from winter's cold. But three did and are now joined by a couple of others. When I first constructed this pond about three summers ago now, at the height of the summer in August there were 40 frogs on the water hyacinth, lilies, grasses, iris, you name it... it was a blanket of frogs - all a brilliant emerald, mimicking the colour of the water hyacinth leaves and mingling with their lovely mauve flowers. They were hard to count.

There is one granddaddy frog living there now, along with a few smaller ones, but while I was running the tractor the other day I saw a tiny little guy desperate to get out of my way, climbing grass stems... so he'll likely find the pond along with others.

I love to watch the activity or non-activity in the pond, depending on the weather. Fish and frogs can be immobile, or very busy. It's a way of meditating for me I suppose, just standing or sitting and watching. Unlike the birds who flit and are constantly on the move, energizing me with their busy-ness, the pond brings me quiet and peace.

It seems to be one of those Sundays.

It's been hectic for the past couple of weeks, and posting hasn't always happened but today with the light drizzle and bird song, I can gaze at the pond, listen to the waterfall's cheerful burble and feel peace drift through me.

Hope you are enjoying a peaceful day if that's what you wish, fun-filled, active or whatever you want - but blessed in its own way just for you.