Saturday, June 14, 2014

Saving the Tads



I am balancing precariously, trying to avoid the mudslide
  which will land me bottom first in the mucky culvert.
Not that it would be tragic, but a neighbor might drive by
at that very time and I'd end up on YouTube, going viral
on my birthday week!

Heavy rains always fill up the culvert, almost to my knees,
and the frogs come as if by magic.  Last year  pairs were bobbing
together, darn near drowning the lady frog,
and you know what that leads to . . . 
Babies! 

I didn't see the couples this year but figured once the rains let 
up I'd go and check it out.  Now it's shallow and gooey, 
trapping the babies, so into action I went!!

I got my Harpos's (Mizzou type) cups in hand and tried to find 
the most concentrated areas.  I know I can't save them all.
It would help if they were more cooperative but I imaging
all they have heard are stories of crazy college kids swallowing goldfish,
or country fried frog legs, like the gas station sells.

No, not for my froggies!
I scooped and drained, accompanied by Rumbles the cat
who was keeping an eye out for passing cars just in case
I did take the dive.  Good girl, Rumbles!

Some were deposited in the courtyard fountain
to join their cousins who are already swimming around.
Some are now in the garden wall pond.

 Poor hubby.  He complains about the frog racket, 
which can  be ear splitting at times,
but that I find to be a gentle lullaby.
I love my frogs!


5 comments:

Gorges Smythe said...

My great aunt lived close to a swamp with a horrendous amount of resident frogs. Also, a really good echo would set up between the house and the barn. As a result, when the frogs got loud, their sound was DOUBLED! It WAS deafening at times!

Harry Flashman said...

I stop and rescue turtles trying to cross the roads. I've never rescued tadpoles but I would if the situation arose.

LindaG said...

Frogs are good fish bait, too. ;-)

Good thing you don't live here, you'd probably have lots of egrets and cranes thanking you for your work, too.

Just teasing. We only have one frog in the cow bowl. Still don't know how it got there.

Have a great Father's Day!

Sunnybrook Farm said...

Our frogs seem to lay eggs in the proper places so I don't have to rescue any, lots of them in the creek and pond. I like to hear them and our house is far enough away that it isn't too loud. It is fun to watch the tadpoles turn into frogs. Have fun with them, maybe some will be toads.

Powell River Books said...

Our tads are a tad bit larger, bullfrog size. Because our shore is so steep, they tend to go across the bay to live and sing. - Margy