One of the fun things to do in my garden is watching tadpoles grow up. Four rain barrels attract grey tree frogs to come courting.
This is one of those activities parents and science teachers love to set up for children. All it takes is a bowl, algae source, water and tadpoles aka as polliwogs.
Getting Started
Occasionally I spot one of the frogs sitting on the edge of a barrel. Usually I only hear them when I am out doing evening chores.
Sneaking up on these male frogs is difficult. No matter how quiet I try to be slipping up to the garden gate and in, they go silent and sink down into the water or into nearby plants.
Since there are rain barrels around the house, the tree frogs are there too. These are often not as wary. They sit on the edge of the barrel, throats extended and calling.
Morning Evidence
Masses of eggs on the water surface give evidence of the night’s activities. These globs of clear jelly float making it easy to see the tiny tadpoles inside.
Each tadpole has a tiny sac of yolk. They begin as a tiny black line that wiggles. Each day the line gets longer and fatter.
After a few days, the egg mass sinks down into the barrel.
Watching Tadpoles Grow Up
Half inch long tadpoles line the rim of the barrel. They swim across the water. A slap on the surface causes them to sink down into the depths.
Each day the tadpoles get bigger. Tree frog tadpoles get about two inches long. Their bodies are black and fat.
Back legs appear and get longer. They just hang, not moving. The tadpole seems to not even notice them.
In the rain barrels, I rarely see the front legs appear. Instead I see tadpoles becoming frogs. They are no longer bulbous, but long and narrow, little frogs with tails.
The next morning, if I get there early enough, I find these tiny frogs climbing out of the barrel. Tree frogs have sticky toes, so the plastic barrel sides present no problems.
Where Do They Go?
Baby frogs have a tough life. They must hide from a slew of enemies. My garden has plenty of hiding places.
Sometimes I startle one and see it leap away to find a new hiding spot. The garden provides plenty of insects to feed these little carnivores.
Unfortunately, their diet doesn’t include squash bugs.
There is another kind of tadpole – very different from these. They are baby salamanders. Read about them in “Exploring the Ozark Hills“.
