Just Call Me TOAD DADDY!

I had prepared myself to write in this very blog about how, sometimes, toad eggs don't grow and develop into tadpoles. It could be caused by pollutants in the water. Possibly a male who has had a vasectomy or a female who drinks and smokes.  Mother Nature is amazing but also sometimes quite finicky.

Of course I'm talking about the toad eggs that were discovered on Monday. Just 5 days ago! This morning there are hundreds of little pollywog's swimming around the rocks where the eggs were once draped.

The idea that eggs laid less than a week ago could grow into something that is alive is truly a miracle of life. 

These little guys are black in color and about a quarter of an inch long.  In the picture to the left you can see two pollywog's near the surface next to the rock in the top-left part of the picture.  If you look closely you can see others but those two are the easiest to see.  Try double clicking the picture for a better view.

The picture below is not very good but you can see a few more of "my babies."

I had read that the average time from fertilization to hatching of Woodhouse's Toad eggs was 36 hours.  This of course was dependent on the temperature.  Colder takes longer and warmer goes faster.  If you take toad eggs from a warm environment and put them in a fridge the development will essentially stop.  When the eggs are returned to the warm environment development begins again right where is left off.

I guess the water temperature in the pond was much cooler than what was needed for a 36 hour hatching time.

This next picture is Mama Toad resting where she has made a small burrow in the mulch surrounding a plant about 10 yards from the pond.  A perfect example of toads liking dry environments versus frogs liking wet.

You can bet this Toad Daddy will be watching these little guys.  Having never been a Toad Daddy before I have no idea what to expect. 

So break out the champagne and a toast to:  Pollywog'n doodle all the day. Yea!