Tag: tadpoles

Pleasures – Tadpoles

On By TimelessladyIn Pleasures16 Comments

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If you look closely, you may be able to discern a few large tadpoles nestled in the strands of my pond plant. I’ve always found tadpoles to be interesting, and every year we try to find a few to put into our pond. They are available at local garden centers too. These whoppers will turn into frogs in a month or two. I love to go outdoors on a hot summer afternoon and find them basking in the sun on a piece of water lettuce.

In wet summers you will often small tadpoles in large puddles. I enjoy saving these and nurturing them to their final stage. These tadpoles are not frogs, instead they will develop into Tiny Toads. This is a great project to do with children. Here are a few links that give good information on how to raise small tadpoles to toads.

Tiny Tadpoles Part I
Tiny Tadpoles Part II
Tiny Tadpoles Part III
Tiny Tadpoles Part IV

Phascination and Peculiarities – Tiny Tadpoles Part II

On By TimelessladyIn Peculiarities, Phascination4 Comments

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The tiny tadpoles I collected from a mud puddle are thriving and growing. Their legs are developing. Yesterday I moved them to a larger container, and filled it with about an inch and a half of pond water. I added two rocks, a round tall stone, and a flat pebble. The pebble is partially submerged in the water and balanced on the taller rock. This will let the tadpoles become accustomed to the change in environment before they are ready to become a land dweller rather than live in the water. When the time is right they can crawl out onto the flat pebble and take a look at the world from a new vantage point. I will still keep the container on the porch. I am sure the hungry birds in my yard would make a quick meal of the little swimmers if they had access to them.

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I also cooked a batch of food to add to the fish food flakes and slimy leaves I have been feeding them. I boiled romaine lettuce in water until it was broken down a bit. I froze a few of the pieces in ice cube trays and gave the remaining pieces to the tadpoles. Within a few minutes they were devouring the boiled lettuce.

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The tiny tadpoles are doing well. I will update their progress in a few days. To read the original post go to this link: Tiny Tadpoles Part 1

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Phascination and Peculiarities – Tiny Tadpoles

On By TimelessladyIn Peculiarities, Phascination4 Comments

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On a visit to the Jersey shore town of Strathmere last weekend, my husband and I parked in a huge puddle on the side of the road. When we returned to the truck after a day on the beach, I noticed that the puddle was filled with hundreds, if not thousands of tiny tadpoles. We have been having daily rains and the side of the road has become a river beside the concrete barrier of the curb. Knowing that the asphalt quickly heats in the summer sun and dries the puddles up, I immediately felt sorry for the tiny swimmers, knowing they probably wouldn’t make it to maturity.

I’m not sure what type of frog or toad these tadpoles are, but I am thinking most likely they are garden toads or tree frogs. I couldn’t resist saving a few and scooped them up with my palm and carried them home in a water bottle. (I say I did this for my grandsons to watch, but must admit, I still haven’t lost my childhood fascination for bugs and such.) A week later, most are thriving, although I think I did lose two or three. They are beginning to develop legs and the shape of their head is changing.

I found a good site explaining how to care for the small amphibians. A good way to feed them is to boil green lettuces until they are pulpy and place bits of it in the water. I am also lucky to have an outdoor pond that is filled with algae right now. (Hmmmm….not so sure that is lucky for me, but certainly is for the hungry tadpoles.) A little pond water added to their puddle water seemed to create the right environment for them.

Funny how quickly a person becomes protective. I am wondering what is the best solution for them as they morph into their final shape. I am thinking lawnmowers and hungry birds, and….well you get my line of thinking. What’s a person to do? Sigh….

Here is a terrific page on how to raise tadpoles to maturity.

Raising Tadpoles

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Pleasure and Protection – Frogs

On By TimelessladyIn Pleasures, Protection1 Comment

I have at least six frogs in my pond this spring. They overwintered from last year’s tadpoles caught in a local lake. I love these frogs. They croak and splash about in the small pond bringing me great pleasure. I would have more frogs, but last year mallard ducks used my pond as a feeding trough, eating many goldfish and tadpoles. This year, the ducks returned, but I was ready and covered the pond with mesh to keep the hungry birds away.