Raining all weekend!

The pond is full, the fountain and filter are working well and the water is clear.  I still haven't moved Marge and George into the aquarium, but am putting extra netting over the pond every day because I saw evidence that a bird has been eyeing the pond while I've been at work.  No wonder my fishies were getting shy!   Now that double nets are up, the fish are bolder.  I love that.  Cleopatra is still hanging out at the pond.  I think one other Leopard frog is, too, but I haven't seen a toad in ages. 

I put a little lit Christmas tree on the porch tonight as a festive touch.  Later in the evening, I looked out the window and say Marge swimming around pretty aggressively.  Normally at night, they just stay still.  Are they sleeping?  I think so! But tonight, Marge was pretty active so I was afraid there was a snake or some other menace around.  I checked and all was well.  When I came out, they settled down.  Maybe they don't like the lights from the Christmas tree. 

Changes

The weather in Austin has finally changed.  We have had a few rainstorms.  We have had a frost.  The ground in moist and we have a bit of green everywhere.  Not to say that the heat has passed, though. We are still reaching the 80's during most days and sometimes I don't know whether we will need the Air Conditioning or the heater that day.

I was hoping that the change of weather would bring a slew of frogs to the pond.  I was hoping that all those frogs that had gone underground during the drought and the heat wave would dig themselves out and start partying at the pond.  Alas, that has not happened.  I still see Cleopatra, but she is so very shy and the pond has been sadly still of frog activity or song in the evenings.   I think that we have lost a lot of frogs in the drought and that makes me very sad. The fish have been very shy, too; I think they have seen predators because Marge hid from me when I came to visit today.  I haven't seen any snakes, though, although I sometimes dream of them. We will be feeling the effects of this drought for many years to come. 

Today, my husband asked me if I wanted to know if he came upon a dead frog in the driveway.  He asked me whether I would want to see and take care of it on my own, or whether I would want him to take care of it.  I asked him to take care of it, but now I feel guilty.  I wanted to know which frog this was.  I probably knew him.  It was probably a toad. It was probably one of the two silly toads I kept having to chase off the driveway.  How could I have squished a frog yesterday?  Normally, I keep a close watch when I drive in.  But I was the last one in and I know I was driving too fast.  I know my husband probably just threw the flattened toad into the trash.  But -- I should have buried him.  I should have said a few words and wished him or her well into the next adventure, whatever that may be for a silly toad.  Send him some thoughts, if you will, so that if he gets a  "next time", he might stay off the road; so that he would not be so lucky to have survived the worst drought and heat wave in Texas history - just to be mowed down by a Honda.  Sigh.

But - change happens.  It happens whether you are ready for it or not.  Life moves on.   I have been acutely aware that my lovely goldfish, the ones that started out as tiny .19 feeder fish from Petco, have become little monsters.  Marge is over 4 inches long and George is almost as big.  They have gone from cheap carnival goldfish to mini-Koi.

I have tried to block it from my mind, but I know that they eat tadpoles.  I also know that they are a target for predators and they really need to be moved from their pond.  For  months I have been scouring Craigslist for the perfect habitat for them - a huge fishtank.  I was told that goldfish, due to their generally filthy nature, need ten gallons for every inch of fish.  This means I was looking for a tank of about 75 gallons.   Truthfully, I had no idea what that looked like until I answered an ad from someone who was selling the whole setup for only $100 - tank, filter, stand, extra charcoal - everything I needed.  When I went to look at it, it floored me.  A 75 gallon tank is HUGE!  

Seriously, this monstrosity is going to fill up half a room for two fish.  The two of us could barely lift it when it was empty of water.

This weekend, I had planned to clean the tank, fill it and get them situated.  Still don't know whether I will keep the tank outside on the porch or bring it into my office.  New life for Marge and George!  I hope they enjoy it.  Now, they will be safe little indoor fishies.   Hmmm.  I hope I am doing the right thing by them. They won't get to visit with any frogs anymore, nor will they get to eat tadpoles or survive on just algae. They won't hide from the birds or snakes or other creatures who have considered them snacks.   I will feed them proper goldfish food and they will become docile indoor creatures. I am hoping to move across country and hope to take them with me in a giant bucket, where they will be California fish and maybe live in a pond outside in the San Francisco Bay Area where I will battle raccoons and other California varmints.  

Happy Feastday to St. Martin de Porres (belatedly - it was November 3)

 I found this today and needed to share it:

"Legend has it that if you pray to St. Martin and see a mouse in an unusual place on his feast day, you will receive an answer to a prayer, so I am sending a mouse your way today ..... along with a cute frog, too. "

Cleopatra, the Beautiful Frog

I have mentioned a very lovely Rio Grande Leopard Frog that has been gracing the pond for awhile.  She is just exceptionally beautiful - you can't help but notice that she is special.  She has long graceful legs that she folds neatly under her perfect torso.  She also has an exceptionally long and narrow nose, for a frog.  This nose of hers is actually quite striking and it helps me recognize her from the other frogs.   She is also extremely shy and dives for cover whenever I'm around, so I only get to catch glimpses of her now and then.  Sometimes, I look out the window and she is hiding so that all I can see is her beautiful nose peeking out from under a rock..


I decided that this lovely frog needed a nice name and for some reason, I thought of Cleopatra. 

I swear that  I did not know beforehand, however,  that Cleopatra's nose has been the object of philosophical and literary discussion!  

From the Wikipedia entry for Cleopatra, I found the following:

"In his Pensées, philosopher Blaise Pascal contends, evidently speaking ironically because a large nose has symbolized dominance in different periods of history, that Cleopatra's classically beautiful profile changed world history: "Cleopatra's nose, had it been shorter, the whole face of the world would have been changed."

This passage, however, did not make it clear to me why, exactly, Cleopatra's nose was famous.  Looking further, I found that "Cleopatra's Nose" is actually the name of a theory (From an essay by Neil Munro in his Pathways to Philosophy website):

"The role of chance in history is often known as the Cleopatra's nose theory, first advanced by Pascal and holding that, had Mark Anthony been less captivated by Cleopatra's charms, he might have turned in a better performance at the battle of Actium, with all the fascinating "what if" consequences for the Roman Empire and subsequent Western civilisation that might have followed."

I also found a book called Cleopatra's Nose: 39 Varieties of Desire,  by Judith Thurman.  It is described by Amazon as: "an exuberant gathering of essays and profiles representing twenty years of Judith Thurman's celebrated writing, particularly her fascination with human vanity, femininity, and "women's work"--from haute couture to literature to commanding empires." 

I very much like Cleopatra the frog hanging out in the pond and reminding us all of the role of chance in our lives.  What has chance brought to us?  How many times have I wondered what might have been...

Get Off The Road, Toad!

All this week, it has been dusk or dark when I get home from work.  On Monday, as I drove up the driveway towards the carport, I saw something....toadlike...in front of the carport.  I stopped just short of what could have also been a leaf (with my terrible eyesight) and I saw a smiling toad right in my path.  I shooed him to the the grass, towards the pond.  What a nice greeting, I thought.  Tuesday, same thing, this time, the toad was facing me as I drove up and seemed to stare into my headlights.  Again, I stopped the car, and walked the toad to the side of the driveway, then quickly drove into the carport.  Today -- there were two little frogs in the driveway.  Again, I got out of the car and shooed them away.  I recognized these two guys as the two young toads who like to hang out in the pond.  One of them is slightly yellowish and skinny.  A few minutes later, I came out with a flashlight and there was the yellow toad right back in the middle of the driveway. Knowing that my husband would be driving down the driveway soon, I kept watch and made sure that the toads wouldn't get squished by my husband's car.   

This wasn't the first time I've seen toads in the road. About six months ago, I got a phone call.  "Steph, move your toad."  I came outside and there was my husband, in his car, in front of Ulysses (the giant wise toad who I haven't seen for awhile) who was sitting in the middle of the carport right in the car's path.  I walked with Ulysses and escorted him as he slowly hopped back to the garden and the pond.

Why are the toads deciding that they want to hang out in the street?  Bad place for toads!!!  I confess that two years ago, I ran over a frog in the driveway at night.  He hopped right in my path and I felt just terrible.  I hate hate hate finding flat frogs in the street.  Why?  Are they attracted to the warmth of the pavement as the weather starts to get cooler? Are they hunting on the street?  I don't see bugs on the street.  Frogs are confusing.  Can someone please tell me why the toads are on the roads in the Fall?

Finally! A frog comes back.

For a whole week after our glorious rain, there hasn't been a single frog in the pond.  It made me very sad.  Hercules was nowhere to be seen for days, either.  (Hercules is my lizard boyfriend.)


Friday, my husband reported that "[my] boyfriend" was on the porch and was quite annoyed with him using the recycling bin.  He kept running up the tree and coming back and running up the tree again.  (My boyfriend, not my husband.)  I still haven't seen Hercules, so I hope my husband hasn't permanently run my boyfriend off. 

Then last night, late, I saw a magnificent Rio Grande Leopard Frog in the pond.  She was one of the biggest I had ever seen and was quite stunning.  I was so happy to see a frog back at the pond.  I still haven't seen a single toad, though and wonder what happened to the the three juveniles that had been regulars most of the summer.

Yesterday, my next door neighbor said that there has been a giant toad hanging out around their house for awhile.  I told her that it might very well be Ulysses. They have a very nice garden with more shade than I have, so maybe he spent the hot summer with them.  I hope he visits me again.

What are we, chopped liver??

So, it finally RAINED three days ago!!   This was a serious 2 inch rainstorm that filled the pond and actually saturated the earth.  Awesome, right?  Well, yeah.  But....NO frogs have visited the pond since then.  Not one.   Not a single frog or toad and my lizard boyfriend has disappeared.    I guess we aren't the only game in town anymore.  How sad.  I have a nice full, clear pond and no frogs. 

Fair weather friends!  (I guess that would be drought-weather friends.)

Hints of Rain!

Austin is still suffering from this horrible drought, but we had some very exciting drizzle this morning and an actual short downpour (that lasted maybe 30 seconds).  We might have some more coming so we are keeping our fingers crossed. Do frogs have fingers?  Why yes they do!  Looking for some bit of information on whether there is a special name for a frog's hand, I found the following that was disconcertingly placed on an unnamed/unlabeled "dissection worksheet" that must have been for some poor high school kid's biology class : "To determine the frog’s sex, look at the hand digits, or fingers, on its forelegs. A male frog usually has thick pads on its "thumbs," which is one external difference between the sexes. Male frogs are also usually smaller than female frogs."  So, not only did I learn that frogs and people both have hands, fingers and even thumbs, I found out that I can perhaps tell males and females from their thumbs. Also found out that a frog has four fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot!

Last night, the pond was graced with 3 small toads and one pretty Leopard frog.  Every time I come out to visit at night, I hear a "plop" or two as I come out, which is the sound of a frog diving for cover.  The toads only leave or dive, though, when I annoy them by getting too close or trying to take too many pictures with flash bulbs.  Normally, they will just hang out with me. Whether they are curious or lazy or just don't care? -- who know?  I do like their attitudes, though. This guy let me get pretty up close and personal before he dived down, annoyed at the flash.

The little guy below just stayed put, trying to pretend I wasn't there.

We had a bit of excitement last week with the possum.  Since the first time I saw him, I saw him a couple of more times next to the pond and I thought that he was just hanging out looking for bugs and plants to eat.  Researching, however, I found that possums eat snakes and frogs.  So Mr. Possum is no longer welcome.  I made that fact perfectly clear to him when I found him scrounging in the garden at night.  I yelled at him and told him he needed to leave.  Mr. clueless possum then waddled up stairs to porch and then huddled by the front door as I scolded him.  He showed me his teeth in a very harmless way and just huddled there, with fleas crawling all over his poor little face. With the handle of a shovel, I nudged him back and asked him to turn around and leave.  He would not.   I finally just had to push the poor thing off the porch, while telling him sternly that he was not ever to come back.  He didn't like that one bit and hasn't shown up since.

My lizard boyfriend has been visiting frequently, however.  He has been regularly coming onto the porch where I say hello to him every day, usually sometime between 2 and 4 pm. Last night, I started a new job and wasn't home until 7:00 pm.  When I came home, I found him on the porch where he seemed to be waiting for me.  He stayed there and we chatted (ok, well, he listed to me talk to him) and I threw out some frozen corn for him.  He didn't eat the corn while I was there, but I left him alone and when I came back, the corn was gone.  I really really like that lizard.  He lost his tail a couple of days ago and looks a little pathetic, but I don't dare tell him.  I only tell him how handsome I think he is.  I think his name needs to be Hercules, as he wants me to be very impressed by his push ups and feats of lizard strength and as I tell him, he is extremely handsome.  If I leave Texas, I will miss him very much.

Baby Praying Mantis next to our front door!

Living in unison with wildlife is hard.  You learn to simply accept the departures of your friends.  Life is so precious and can be so very temporary.   I haven't seen the wise giant toad Ulysses in a long time and have no idea whether he has found a better home or whether he was eaten by some hawk or possum.  It is hard to accept that one day, you could be enjoying a laugh with a beautiful creature who has come to be your friend and the next day, that friend has gone, maybe to come back and maybe never to be seen again.  You just don't know.  You can't control it, no matter how hard you try.  Nature is tough.

Oh -- speaking of creatures I was sure should have departed by this time, that damn frog-loving cricket showed up again yesterday.  He is certainly walking the tightrope of life!

Fall Begins

Fall began just a few days ago with a slight cold front, letting us taste a few temperatures in the morning in the 60's last week with a few sprinkles here and there.  That was just a tease though, as since that little break, we are now back in the 100's and haven't seen any more rain. Plants that tried to show us some green are brown again and the grass is just straw.  Nevertheless, that week or so of slightly cooler temperatures and just that little bit of moisture seemed to bring some bugs out.  I clearly wasn't imagining the new bugs as last night, I got to see a frog, a toad, and my big lizard with nice healthy tummies for the first time in months.  So nice to see a nice round-bodied toad!  The lizard, who loves to come up on the porch when the temps are over 100, looked absolutely gorgeous.   When I came out, he predictably ran up the Elm tree in front of the house where he can blend in with the bark while carefully watching me.  I came out and admired him and he granted me a few push-ups.  He was either showing me his virility because he thought me a threat or he was flirting.  I sweet-talked him for a bit and let him be.  I would love to have a lizard as a pet, but would really really hate putting anything this beautiful in a cage.  He seems to have an ideal life.

Today, I was going to fill the water bucket to replenish the pond and saw a small scorpion in the bottom of the bucket.  Normally, all scorpions in my world get killed immediately.  No shortage of these little evil monsters.  But, with the bugs as scarce as they've been, I rethink these decisions now.  Would this scorpion be a good snack?  That stinging tail gave me pause, though.  I would not want a frog to get stung.  So -- I took a pair of pliers and nipped off the stinger.  A drop of poison collected on the stinger as I dropped it in the trash.  Unfortunately, the scorpion seemed not to survive the amputation.  That kind of surprised me, as it seemed pretty minor to just have the end of your tail nipped off.  I guess you can't just nip the evil off some things.  Seemed like such an easy fix, too.

Surprising New Residents and Visitors

A about two weeks ago, there was a big black cricket in the house.  We were in the middle of a terrible heat wave and I saw the cricket and thought: "frog food!"  So I scooped up the cricket into a box and put him outside next to the pond when it started to get dark.  Well, a day or so later, I picked up a rock next to the pond and there was a big cricket.  Couldn't have been the same one, could it have been?  I ignored him.  Since then, I have seen a big black cricket by the pond or on the stairs nearly every day.  I think it must be the same one.  How is this possible?  Granted, this is a big cricket, but if a snake can swallow a frog whole, why wouldn't any of our frogs or toads make a meal out of this guy?  Yesterday, he was nonchalantly crawling on the netting over the pond.  Is he now part of the pond community?  How can this be?? This is not the way we understand nature.  Frogs EAT crickets, they don't share habitat with them peacefully.  Or - do they? Have they discussed the fact that the big visible interfering hand of human brought the cricket here, therefore, he gets a pass?  I wonder how long he will last before being eaten by a frog, toad, bird, snake, etc. ?   Pretty tough cricket.

In vertebrate news, a few days ago, I stepped outside at night to visit the pond and surprised a very rumpled-looking possum on the porch who had been snacking on the veggies and nuts I left for the squirrel.  He waddled away, looking disheveled and a bit bewildered.  He belonged in a cartoon with his very distinctive confused expression, his adorable messy grey hair pointing everywhere and his pathetic little rat tail.  So very cute. I hope he comes back.  The first time I saw a possum, he was curled up on the bottom of my garbage can outside in California.  He looked dead.  I tipped the can over and came back later.  He was gone. He had only been playing possum.  A long time ago, I remember seeing another one on my back porch where I had left a big metal bowl of popcorn.  I had heard an infernal racket and saw a silly possum putting his feet in the bowl, making it tip and clang on the ground as he grabbed a few bits of popcorn. He kept doing this making the same metallic racket over and over.  Clown!

I really really love the diversity of species and personalities we have at the pond.  I feel so privileged in being able to share this world.  Spending time in this world, it is impossible,  I think, not to develop understanding and respect.  I think of long ago when I dissected that frog in high school biology class and thought it was kind of gross, and did not fully appreciate that this was a living breathing creature who could have had a full enjoyable life.  If I had been a child growing up at this pond, I could not have dissected that frog and I would have had to have my mom or dad write some kind of note.  No reason why an artificial frog, with innards, can't be made available to young students.  I understand how you might have to work on the real thing if you were in vet school, but high schoolers? Such a waste of a lovely frog's life.

It is interesting that it took me only two weeks to go from seeing a cricket and thinking "frog food" to thinking of the cricket as a member of the pond community and being something/someone I have some level of concern for.  There is a lesson there. 

Viva La Rana!

Yesterday was diez y seis de septiembre - Mexican Independence Day!   Austin celebrated with a smattering of well-deserved rain.  It rained just a bit, enough to make the ground slightly moist and we are hoping for a little more.   There was no lack of celebration at the pond where the "gritos" were loud and persistent.  I think it was only one frog or toad, but that frog was LOUD!  The shy female leopard frog was there listening and I am not sure if the Mr. was successful with his entreaties.  Oh yes, I forgot to tell you the best news!  The frog I found in the snake's belly was not our little pond girl.  I saw her the day after the snake was killed.  She was sitting next to the St. Martin statue.  She likes it there - that's how I knew it was her.  Totally made my day.  When I saw her and heard the frog call, I thought she was being wooed.  But -- the next day, I actually saw a toad make that exact call.  So the sounds in the video below are of a toad.  Do toads woo frogs??  I have no idea!

Oh, and if you aren't familiar with a  "grito", it is a loud yell, usually with some good long fancy yodeling thrown in.   "The" Grito, or the "Grito de Independencia" or "Grito de Delores" refers to the revolutionary yell by Father Hidalgo that started the Mexican War for Independence in 1810 in the town of Delores.  On diez y seis, the air is filled with gritos in Mexico!
http://www.houstonculture.org/mexico/diezyseis.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grito_de_Dolores

I bet you want to hear some frog toad songs of love?  This is a video I took of the pond.  Yes, I took it without turning on any lights because I did not want to disturb our singer, so the beginning is just song.   Later in the video, I turn on the flashlight to look for the singer and to see the young lady leopard frog sitting in the grotto. The sounds you hear are the calls of a Gulf Coast Toad. I watched him the next night.  His throat bubbled up as he sang.  So cool.

In other good news, I saw yet another small toad, this one only about the size of a half dollar!  So cute. Seeing toads makes me hopeful that we will indeed have some more rain.  I haven't seen Ulysses yet, or any other full grown toads, for that matter.   I do miss Ulysses and can only hope that he is somewhere safe and sound and that he will come back to me someday before we move from Texas. 

Little Toad! 

The War Hasn't Ended. Killer Killed, But Not Soon Enough.

This morning I brought out a five gallon bottle of water to replenish the pond.  As I poured, I noticed the familiar checkered pattern nestled in the plants next to the rocks that formed the sides of the pond.  Quietly, I went for my tongs and gloves.  As I got closer, I realized that this snake was big, too big for me to just grab without risking getting bitten.

I reached for the spade.  I pressed the spade into the thick part of the snake that was visible - I wasn't sure where it was on the snakes body and I wasn't sure if I was actually killing it, but I could see its tail whip as I pressed as hard as I could against the spade.   I realized that I really wasn't getting anywhere and was probably just causing pain, so I ran inside and asked my husband for some help.  He came out, grasped the handle of the spade and applied more force to the snake's body.  After awhile, he lifted the snake out of the garden and into a bucket.

Looking at the snake, I noticed that it still moved, its tongue still flicked and mouth still opened.  I also saw that it had a large lump in its middle - it had just eaten. I dumped the snake out of the bucket onto some firm ground and struck with the spade several times so that the head was cleanly severed from the body.

I looked at the snake.  And at the bulge.  I ran inside and grabbed my kitchen shears.  (Yes, the nice Kitchen Aide ones I use for cutting up chickens and such.)  Cutting down from the incision on the neck, I found the snake's skin to be surprisingly tough.  When I got to the bulge, I was very careful, but found a very dead young leopard frog.  The frog was kind of smashed.  If the poor frog was alive, I certainly killed it when killing the snake.  I so hoped that this wasn't the sole leopard frog who had been hanging out in the pond every night, the frog I saw early this morning on the porch and said good morning to as she seemed to go hopping off to work.  It probably was.  I buried her in the garden and said a few words.

Toad In The Coal??

Saw another young toad this morning.  He was just about an inch and a half long, which means he managed to survive through this heatwave as a baby toad.   I find that amazing.  But we know that toads and frogs burrow into the earth and hibernate when things get tough.  With this drought and heatwave lasting so long, I wondered how much longer our little frogs and toads could last.  Then today, my husband mentioned a story he had read about a live frog being discovered encased in a lump of coal.   "Impossible", I thought.   Then I looked it up.   Apparently, there have been a fair number of reported findings of live frogs and toads found in geodes, lumps of coal and petrified stumps over the course of the past few centuries.  Most scientists have scoffed at the phenomena, although there have been reports all over the world that are startlingly similar in describing a mucous coat on the mouth and very slow vitals.  Can a toad slow his breathing and function so dramatically that they can actually be encased in coal or rock until released??  Scientists say it is impossible.  But who knows how long toads can stay underground? 

http://www.aquiziam.com/unexplained-phenomenon.html

If all this sounds vaguely familiar to you, you might be thinking of  "Toad in the Hole", an English recipe featuring sausages baked in Yorkshire pudding.  I will not mention this recipe to any of the inhabitants of the pond.

Fire

It was pretty scary around the pond for the last few days.  Labor day weekend started ominously with fierce dry winds.  Then later, inevitably, fires raged in two areas close enough to us to fill our skies with billowing smoke and ash while the news started streaming in regarding catastrophic losses in other areas of central Texas.  We called the county emergency services periodically to get news of the fire to see whether it might be necessary for us to flee.  Thankfully, once the weekend was over, the winds died down and the temps dropped a bit in the evening.  Nevertheless, in Bastrop, just east of Austin, almost 1500 homes were destroyed and over 25 square miles of land, including two State parks.  In Austin, a pricey subdivision lost more than 25 homes. In Leander and Cedar Park, two cities north of Austin, more houses were destroyed.  The two fires near us, one in Pedernales Bend and one near Hamilton Pool road, more homes were lost but the fires are finally under control, as is the central Austin fire.  Only the Bastrop remains dangerous, although it appears to be somewhat contained and they have begun to let some people back into the area.

With the drop in evening temperatures, we have seen more birds and this little one popped into the pond.

This is probably the youngest toad I've seen in the pond. She has been hanging out in the mornings and evenings, while the shy young leopard frog still comes by in the evening.

Everyone is talking about the devastation to human homes, but I can't help mourning the loss of all the critter habitat.  With this drought, there just is no water.  Poor frogs, snakes and toads.  This drought could have repercussions for generations to come.

Perhaps We Need To Hold A Frog Wedding To End This Drought

 Frog weddings are held in East Asian countries to bring an end to drought conditions.  We are in bad shape here in Texas.  I would be more than willing to host a wedding here at the pond.  Wouldn't that be fun?!

(The pictures here do not necessarily match the stories.  I lifted these pictures from the internet from other East Asian frog nuptials and apologize for any copyright infringements).

 
Video explaining the tradition with some beautiful footage:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO-NgYU6ldA

 

From an article in Earthweek, July 2, 2010

"Religious leaders in India’s holy city of Varanasi have attempted to jump-start the delayed monsoon season by resorting to the mythical marriage of frogs in a desperate attempt to please the rain gods.

“This is an age-old tradition that if frogs are wedded, then Indra Dev will be pleased and monsoon will come,” organizer Munna Lal Yadav told reporters.

During one of several such marriages conducted across India’s oldest city, a priest officiated the Batrachian nuptials to the chanting of hymns from the Hindu scriptures.

Vermilion was also applied to the forehead of the female frog. Temperatures continued to soar to well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit with no rain during the first few days of amphibious bliss.

But rain chances had increased to 40 percent within a week's time, according to meteorologists."

From a 2009 Article in Thandian News:

 Frogs married in drought-hit Jharkhand to please rain god

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Ranchi, July 23 (IANS) Beautiful invitation cards, a feast for nearly 500 guests, a car for the groom and chanting of Sanskrit verses — although all the usual customs were observed, this was an Indian wedding with a difference. Those tying the knot at the special event in Jharkhand’s Chatra district were frogs.
Desperate residents of Simeria block in the drought-hit district, about 190 km from here, organised a wedding of frogs Wednesday to appease the rain gods.

“We believe that the rain god is appeased by the marriage of frogs. Now that the ceremony has been performed, we hope that the district, which has been facing droughts for the last four years, will get good rainfall,” said Vinod Bihari, a priest who conducted the marriage ceremony.

Seva Ram, a farmer, “adopted” the female frog and performed the ritual of ‘kanyadan’.
“I will keep both frogs in my house. It is my duty to feed them as I did the kanyadan of the female frog. We hope the marriage will end our woes,” he said.  After the wedding, sweets were distributed, people blessed the newly-wed couple and prayed to god for rainfall.

Jharkhand has declared four districts — Chatra, Palamau, Lathear and Garwah — drought hit.
The affected districts have received rainfall of less than 100 mm so far this monsoon. As a result, the paddy crop has been badly hit.

Lizards!

The drought and the heat wave kicked it up a notch the past few days.  On Sunday, it was 112 degrees, matching the highest temperature ever in Austin. Monday was 110.  On the news last night, it was reported that August was the hottest month ever in Austin and this is the hottest summer in history.

With the frogs and toads in hiding from the heat, lizards have taken center stage. Much more adapted to heat, they seem to be most active in the middle of the day and are often visible clinging to the side of the house or trees.  Texas has some beautiful lizards.   The main lizard we have around here is the Texas Spiny Lizard.  They are gorgeous!  I don't think they actually have spines, but their scales do come out a bit so they have a a little punkish flair.  While I have always seen them scurrying around, this week I have taken the time to notice them and one in particular has taken the time to get a little friendly.

This guy has decided to hang out on the porch next to the recycling bin every day.  He seems mildly interested in me and he investigated the few bits of chopped frozen vegetables I scattered for the squirrel.  I looked up what lizards ate and various people said they fed their lizards lettuce. When I looked up Texas Spiny Lizards, however, sources said they ate insects.  Well, this guys seems to like both.  Good for omnivore lizards!
 
I also discovered that lizards will do a little pushups to show their strength and virility.  One article says that when two lizards meet up, they will do this in a show of strength in competition until one of the lizards gives up, without a fight. Californiaherps.com, a very informative website about lizards, calls it a "territorial display".  "This display shows off the bright coloring on their throats and sides, if they have it, and shows that they are in prime physical condition, and not to be messed with. Females also do push-ups."

I actually saw the little push up show this week on the porch step. Although I did not see another lizard, my porch visitor did his little funky rhythmic push up in a perfect 4/4 beat.  I pictured him in a music video - he was that good. Awesome, even.  Maybe there wasn't another male around.  Maybe he just felt the urge to dance. 

The squirrel has very much enjoyed the ice water, peanuts and veggies I have been putting out for him or her on the big flat rock.  A couple of always-greedy deer came up, very interested in what was on the rock, having stolen lots of treats from there in the past.  They saw the squirrel, though, backed up and did not interfere.  I guess squirrels are higher up in pack order than deer.  Who knew?


For the past week, a solitary leopard frog has cautiously used the pond, but has been really shy with me.  I found him at about ten o'clock at night, sitting by the statute of St. Martin de Porres that overlooks the pond from the porch steps. I love how his eyes glow! My little phone camera can't really even focus on him with his glowing eyes.  I like how he decided to take refuge alongside this animal-loving saint.





I can tell the heat is breaking and that some moisture is imminent because two small toads were in the pond along with the leopard frog last night, which means they had some reason to come out of hibernation.  This morning was actually pleasant so I hope this means the weather may change a bit.









This is just one adorable lizard.  I think he likes me.

The Difference Between Frogs and Toads or… Toads are From Mars and Frogs are From Venus

Gulf Coast Toad

Leopard Frog

The more I watch the frogs and the toads, the more I notice their distinctions. 

I can’t believe that I used to confuse one from the other. Now, I think that mistaking a toad for a frog would be as absurd as  mistaking a cat for a dog. 

While I recognize them now as altogether different personalities, I looked up what, technically,  makes them different.  First, I found out that all toads are, biologically, in the general frog family, but I guess they are a completely different branch.  So, while all toads are frogs, all frogs are definitely not toads.  

Frogs are water-dwellers. It is their element and they must live near some sort of water source or else they will die.  Conversely, toads are earth-dwellers, they only need the water to breed and for comfort and they can burrow into the ground if it gets too dry. They can even live in the desert. They are adaptable.

Frogs have smooth, lovely skin that needs to be kept moist.  Toads have rough skin; they are prepared for dry conditions and for living in the earth.  Frogs have long well-developed legs that are geared for giant arcing jumps.  Toads have short squat legs, better suited for walking and short hops.  Frogs are shy.  They will use their abilities to leap quickly away from danger or uncertainty.  Toads are not nearly as shy - but they have poison in their skin.  They may not be able to get  away from predators as quickly, but they are  less a target because of those toxins.  Frogs have high-set bulging eyes.  Toads have more inset eyes.  Frogs have TEETH!  Toads do not.  

In folklore, frogs are just a kiss away from royalty. Toads, on the other hand, need to be avoided, because they would give you warts. They are, of course, the crucial ingredient in many a witch’s cursing brew. Their name was invoked as a historic insult, particularly in 19^th century novels: “You toad!”

Frogs have smooth skin, often interesting patterns and are quite lovely. They are rarely noticeably fat or thin. They are watchful, shy, demure. People fashion jewelry and garden statues in the shape of cute frogs. In Asian culture, they are considered good luck.  

Toads are more noticeably fat. I get worried when I see one who is thin.

Ulysses, in all his chubby glory!

Too-skinny Toad

While frogs dive for cover when I come to visit them at the pond, the toads will hang out with me, heads sticking out of the water, not wanting to miss anything.  

Toads are good listeners. 

Million Dollar Smile!

That evening I spent singing to my big toad friend Ulysses as we just hung out together one summer evening will always be one of those great life memories.  I will also never forget when I saw him with a snake swimming around him as he sat in the water, totally unconcerned. He didn’t budge when I grabbed the snake with my kitchen tongs from right beside him.  He knew he was too big and too toxic to eat and seemed amused by the situation. You would never find a frog in that position!  

Toad parties are raucous bacchanalian affairs.  They jump and sing and swim and carry on together.  They may yell at you if you interrupt them, but they won't just scurry away.  These parties might be a bit much for the cautious frogs.

I think that most of us were raised to be frogs.  I think that we should not mind at all if we turn out more like toads.  This could be, perhaps, the most important thing I have learned all year. 

Can we nurture our inner toad?  I wish I could be as comfortable in my skin as a toad. I wish I did not have to be as fearful of life's predators, and simply be comforted with the knowledge that everyone knows I carry a vat of toxins in my skin and any enemy attack upon me is an attack upon themselves.  I wish I could drop any hope of being someone's good luck charm or savior and simply sprawl in the pond and smile when stupid people squirm with revulsion at my rough wrinkled skin.  I wish I could sit still with my inner strength and smile, rather than shake with fear, consumed with over-analyzing my inadequacies and looking for my next escape.

Skinny Squirrel

The drought continues.  It isn't just the drought of the century, it is now just plain the worst drought in Texas history.  It is also the hottest summer in recorded history. This weekend, the forecast shows 108 - 109.   Most recorded days in triple digits, too. I think we are at about 70, with another ten days of triple days forecast.  The all time record was 68, I think.

Skinny Squirrel happily eating peanuts 

My concern for the frogs and toads has expanded to the other creatures around the pond and my giant hand of anti-destiny is acutely feeling the need to act. Yesterday, in the late afternoon, I saw a skinny squirrel creeping cautiously up the porch and its stairs towards the pond, obviously attracted by the sound of the fountain, despite it being right next to the scary house with the scary barking dogs.  It must have been at least 105 degrees.  About a foot from the pond, he laid on his belly on the porch, trembling.   A while later, he crept up and ducked underneath the netting of the pond to get a drink.  Poor baby.  I found some bread and gently opened the front door and threw it outside, hoping he would find it.  Then I cut up a corn cob and a banana and put that out as well. Later, while I noticed that the banana hadn't been eaten, I did notice that it was covered with ants - the good kind, not the stinging kind.  Later that night, I saw a couple of Leopard frogs happily sitting next to the bananas, likely gobbling up stray ants which I hear are quite delicious to frogs.  The next morning, all the bread and bananas were gone.

Skinny Squirrel 

Today at the grocery store, I realized that I needed to figure out what a skinny squirrel could eat.  I got a big bag of peanuts and a big bag of cut-up frozen vegetables.  I sprinkled them around the oak trees where I've seen this squirrel forage and then laid some out on a big flat rock underneath an oak tree near the water bucket I set out in the yard. I hoped that the squirrel would find the treasures before the deer would that evening.  At about 5 pm, I saw him sitting on the big flat rock, nibbling from his front paws while standing on his hind legs.  He looked delighted!  I sure was.  I imagined him eating the recently frozen tender peas and lima beans and cut up carrots, not to mentioned the shelled peanuts.  SCORE!! Later, I checked to see what he ate and he left only one solitary peanut.  Now he knows where to look and I have a time frame of when to leave goodies for him. The following day, he was at the rock and at my steps, nibbling away, looking much happier.

Also saw a beautiful tiny green and yellow bird, just the size of a parakeet, sneaking into the frog pond, underneath the net today.  Last weekend, I bought a 25 pound bag of seed and threw it around, hoping someone would find it.

The giant hand of anti-destiny has done some good.  Bringing in the tadpoles to become froglets indoors to die may not have been a good move, other than to teach me a lot about this process. The other stuff the gian hand has done has been ok. The net protected the fish from the herons.  My snake war seems to have been successful,  having peacefully rid the pond of snakes without spilling a drop of blood.  The water in the pond is much more pure than ground water, with its filter and constant replenishing with reverse osmosis treated water from the sink. 

We just have to get through this drought.  Make it rain!

Skinny Toad

Last night, I saw a little toad hanging on the net on top of the pond.  After some consideration about the wisdom of leaving my "giant interfering hand of anti-destiny" out of the pond, I decided to help him out anyway, in case he was lost.  I couldn't help myself. I gently picked him up.  He was scared and tried to wriggle out of my grasp.  He was very skinny and weak, though, and I released him next to the water where he leapt in and stayed, balancing on plants for hours, with just his head above the water. I visited him a few times during the night, hoping that he had caught some bugs.  I've never seen a thin toad before.   How can Texas run out of insects??!  I turned the porchlight on, figuring that the light may attract a few yummy bugs for my friends. This weather pattern needs to change soon. Also in the pond was an elusive Leopard Frog.  She never let me see her in person though, diving under cover when I opened the front door.  But I knew she was there from watching from the window.

This morning, as usual, the toads and frogs were gone.  I still don't completely understand where they exactly go during the day.  As I sat by the water, feeding the fish some flakes, the anole baby came out to say hi, running along the edge of the netting and looking right at me.  I was very glad to see her.  She always looks so cheerful and I swear she comes out purposefully when I come and sit in the morning. I think she is a she because I see that boys have some sort of reddish lumps their necks and I don't think she has one. 

Looking down into the water of the pond, I noted a few active tadpoles.  I understand that the frogs and toads will eat some or all of these.  Maybe Marge and George will, too.    I will not scoop them out and try to save them, however.  Nature needs to do her thing and I need to step back and observe.  Life lesson - something about accepting the things I cannot change, being patient and trying to understand.

Friday's Postscript....

Goodbye, Baby Frog.  I will miss you a ridiculous amount. I worried about you every single day, but I could not keep you with us.  I am so very sorry.  I hope that your little froglet soul will be reborn soon into a glorious healthy frog in an area where there are no snakes and where you can lounge around and sing and make new baby frogs to your heart's content. I hope that, somehow, you knew that someone cried for you and wished that you could have been a happy and loved member of their family for many years. 

Baby Frog Went To The Hospital Today

Baby Frog turned 14 days old today, as a frog, anyway.  He was doing ok, I thought.  But today, he looked so very still. So still, I was pretty sure he had left us.  Nevertheless, I changed his moss and water and left him for awhile.  When  I came back, he had moved slightly, so I knew he was hanging on.  Then, I decided to call the local vet that deals with amphibians and they encouraged me to bring him right over.

Well, when they saw him, they didn't know what to do.  They hadn't realized that he was so tiny. He was so very tiny, there was nothing really they could do for him.  It's not like they could give him an injection - the needle would kill him.  So, they gave me some sterile fluid to bathe him with and they didn't charge me the normal $62 charge.   (Thank goodness).  We just came home and he looks worse.  I don't think he will live through the day, but I will hope.  My guess is that the hour car ride back and forth wasn't that great for him, either.  Frogs are hard.

Baby Frog just 3 days ago

When they asked me for his name when I was filling out paperwork, I felt alternately guilty and relieved that I had not yet named him.  But does a name really make him less a member of the family?  It is just way too easy to get attached to these critters.

Back at the pond, it has continued to be eerily quiet. At 10:00 pm last night, I peered through the front window with a flashlight to see if there was anything going on.   I was surprised to see two Rio Grande Leopard Frogs hanging out.  One was sitting on the netting above the pond, above it all in his big hammock.  Another was on a big rock.  Both looked pretty calm and happy, sitting primly and neatly with their beautiful smooth colorful skin.  They I saw a smallish toad lounging in the water, his limbs askew, with his head stuck above the water.  Toads are such party animals compared to the frogs!  All he needed was a mini beer bottle and a floatie and he would have looked like any other college kid on summer vacation.

Drought

 This is the view from my front door.

It is not supposed to look like this in August.  In Texas, summer is green.  It is always blistering hot - but  you can look forward to fairly frequent tropical rain, warm thunderstorms with brilliant lightning shows and the occasional golfball-sized hail that sends me  running to my car to cover it with a thick bed quilt to protect it from hail dents.  Typically in the summertime, we have to mow constantly to keep up with the wild growth. The humidity will make you sweat through your shirt just walking to get the mail. Bugs are  everywhere and you can hardly hear yourself over the noise of the cicadas and crickets.

But this year is different.

I cannot remember the last time I mowed. Every creek is bone dry.  When I walk around, the ground crunches beneath my feet. The air is dry.

 This is frightening.  Will it ever rain again?  What does it mean for our frogs?  The average daily temperatures ranged from 105 - 108 last week.

The pond has been very quiet, with the occasional leopard frog hanging out for the day.  I spend time with the goldfish who nibble on my finger and beg for more fish flakes.  I have been putting a white sheet over the pond for shade in the middle of the day so the water doesn't get too warm for them.

Frogs and toads typically burrow into ground to escape the heat in dry weather.  They have to protect their skin from drying out.  But where can they burrow when there is no moisture anywhere and the ground is like cement?   There aren't even any insects out. No crickets. No cicadas. No crazy june bugs swirling their crazy paths seeming to try to fly up your nose and ending up caught in your hair.   The birds are gone.

The stillness isn't calm; it is ominous.

Last night, I heard a lonely frog song and wondered where this poor guy was taking shelter.  I think it is amazing that frogs can withstand the 100 degree temperature swings we have here in central Texas.   It just does not seem that long ago when I was watching the temperature dip into the teens and was panicking about the water lines freezing and the pond freezing over.  

Rueters reported that we have received only 40% of our normal rainfall this year.  They also reported that this drought would last through October, at least, and that the heat wave would persist through August.  This is the worst drought Texas has had for a century, perhaps in history.  Ironic that the climate change naysayers are thick here in Texas.  Kinda like mother nature is giving them a well-deserved slap upside the head. Nature has to do that sometimes so that we pay attention.   Time to pay attention.

 On the bright side, look who's ten days old today!


Watching him carefully, I can see his throat move as he breathes and his eyes blink.  His legs are striped and his back is spotted, so I know he is a baby leopard frog.  Leopard frogs will not grow more than an inch for their first year.  They live to be between 7-9 years in the wild, although another website cited 5 years in captivity.   I hope this one will be with me for a long time.  This frog doesn't move around much.  He likes to hide in the moss.  I think he is eating.  I keep his house full of pin head crickets and fruitflies.  I am actually terrified of losing him.  I check on him constantly and check to see if he is breathing.  I look for his ribs and whether his belly looks round.- Is he eating?  Please eat.  Please thrive, baby frog.  Do you like it cold or hot?  Would you like deeper water in your house?  I wish you could tell me.  I wish I could tell you that I am here to help and not to be afraid of me.  You scared me when you fell into the water and you didn't move. I thought you had died before my eyes, but then you jumped away.  Caring for babies is really hard. It terrifies me.  Always has.

Who Do We Have Here?

On the day that Pippen died, one of the tadpoles decided that it was time to step up and be a frog. I hesitated to introduce him, because he is the sole survivor of my attempts to save baby frogdom from the snake war.

I have learned some things, however, through this heart-wrenching experimentation in frog-raising.  This guy just gets live food - fruitflies and pinhead crickets.  You can already see that he has a nice little belly on him, unlike Pippen, who had a giant head and almost no body.  I tried to feed Pippen bloodworm goo, which I don't think he ever ate.   I moved this guy to  a new, smaller and very clean carrier, just in case the aquarium the others were in had some kind of fungus or bacteria that contributed to the other froglets' and tadpoles' deaths.  No gravel or sharp rocks went into this pen, having read in a blog that gravel can scratch a young frog's tender body and make it vulnerable to infections.   This froggy has only soft moss and a big plastic dish shaped like a rock.  I also took out the heat lamp.  I heard that frogs really are fine at between 70-80 degrees, which is exactly what my house is, with the A/C on.

He seems to be doing well. He looks like a real tiny frog, rather than a little old man. I am keeping my fingers crossed -- and going back to the store for more tiny crickets!

Ulysses - Quite a Proper Name For My Toad Buddy

The toad formerly known as "Toad" is quite a character.  As you see from his pictures, he is quite portly and clearly has some age on him.  Last evening.  He appeared in the pond with his front feet on the side of the pond, looking up at me, with a snake swimming around him.  He was completely unfazed.  I grabbed said snake with my kitchen tongs and stuck him in a bucket.  I recognized him as a prior offender from his stubby tail, clearly the victim of some bigger snake or the wrong end of someone's shovel.  Snake won a car ride a few miles down the road, where he was released, safe and sound, in a thicket of trees.

Toad, I mean, Ulysses, stayed underwater for awhile, but when I came back, he popped out, faced me again and we hung out for awhile.  This elder toad needed a name that would evidence his years on this planet, his ability to survive in this harsh, sun-drenched landscape of Texas with so many predators around him and his current status as the big toad that no one messes with.  What kind of tales of adventure could this brave toad tell? The tales of brave Ulysses and his battles and victories in ancient Greece came to mind.  What also came to mind was General U.S. Grant, scourge of the South, that portly gentleman famous for finishing off the South during the Civil War, being a great supporter of civil rights (for the time), and leaving office is somewhat of a scandal because of corruption.  So, I don't mind whether you think of grand Ulysses fighting the Trojans or the Ulysses who sent Sherman off to march when you see Toad, I mean Ulysses.  Just know that he really liked it when I sang to him "The Tales of Brave Ulysses" last night.  He was very attentive, let me take pictures, and then serenaded me with his own song outside my window later that night. I am hoping that he found his Aphrodite and tadpoles will again grace the pond.

Tales of Brave Ulysses

 

Well You thought the leaden winter would bring you down forever,
But you rode upon a steamer to the violence of the sun.
And the colours of the sea bind your eyes with trembling mermaids,
And you touch the distant beaches with tales of brave Ulysses,
How his naked ears were tortured by the sirens sweetly singin',
sparkling waves are calling you to touch a white laced lip.
You see your girl's brown body dancing through the turquoise,
And her footprints make you follow where the sky loves the sea.
And when your fingers find her, she drowns you in her body,
Carving deep blue ripples in the tissues of your mind.
Tiny purple fishes run laughing to your finger,
You want to take her with you to the hard land of the winter.
Her name is Aphrodite and she rides a crimson shell,
You know you cannot leave her for you touched the distant sands
With tales of brave Ulysses, how his naked ears were tortured
By the sirens sweetly singing.
Tiny purple fishes run lauging through your fingers,
You want to take her with you to the hard land of the winter.

These are lyrics from a song by Cream.  Another one of Cream's notable songs was a song called "Toad".  It is simply a 5 minute drum solo by Ginger Baker.   : )

Rest In Peace, Dear Pippen

I thought you were doing better.  I loved that you swam over to your other beach last night to check things out and I thought that you had finally been eating. 

When I saw your lifeless body this morning, my heart broke.  May your tiny spirit come back some day as a stronger little frog.

Good Morning, Pippen!

After a few days of trying out names, "Pippen", seems to fit this little creature.  He has now been with us for just over a week, but I truthfully see no growth whatsoever.  This has worried me and sent me to the amphibian section of the local Petsmart to ask lots of questions about feeding a wee froglet.  I had been feeding him "Leptotreat" which is a packaged mixture of bloodworm goo (yum!) that you see here, as I feed it on some wet paper towel.  He only jumped on it in this picture because I was trying to get him to come out of cage for some pictures and harassed him out of his little hidey hole cave in his pile of moss.

Since I never actually saw him eating it, I asked what other types of food might be appropriate and was given a vial of fruitflies.  I let some out in his habitat and he has been pretty transfixed by them, although I have not yet seen one go into his mouth.  He crawled right up this rock after one, though.  I am hoping he is maybe eating at night.  The nice lady at the Petsmart asked if I could see his ribs, suggesting I flip him over and look.  (Like flipping an ant over to look - impossible without crushing him, so that won't work.) Now I am furtively looking to see if I can see his ribs, which would indicate that he isn't eating properly. 

I also did some redecorating. We now have beaches, landscaping and a pool.  Such an upscale froglet!  They also recommended some tiny crickets.  When I noted that even the tiniest crickets were the same size as him, they said that I could pull off their legs before putting them in the enclosure.  Yeah, no.  I can't go there.  Until it's a fair fight, no crickets are living in the cage.

Also looks like one of 

the tadpoles may soon join Pippen in froglet land.

The pond seems pretty healthy, too. Although I have found a couple of baby snakes in the past two days, I sprayed liberally with my clove/peppermint oil around the pond and one baby snake just took off across the garden, so the snake threat has remained low. The frogs have also started singing a little more at night. I love their calls; their "ponds songs of love."

Here is a little leopard frog I managed to see this morning before she scampered away from my intrusion.

And of course, one more picture of Pippen.
Pippen makes me smile.