Lily Planting

I told you in my previous post that we had planted lilies in the bridge pond.  When we did that I wasn't able to take pictures for the most part because I was up to my arm pits in pond water. 

As luck(?) would have it I decided to purchase another lily pad plant and did just that early this afternoon.  My granddaughter was over today after school and we recruited her to be the photographer and I would be the pond plant planter with Ginger there for moral support and to hand me the lily plant.

Without further ado, I present the pictures of lily:


With a little luck this stinky mass of muck and roots will grow lily pads
to grace the surface to the bridge pond.



I don my "ectomy" gloves so the stink of the lily mud and muck doesn't
stick to my hands.  Note, Ginger doesn't care what her hands smell like!
She probably washes her hands. ;) 





Get'n down and dirty with the lily.  I had removed rocks to make a "bed" for the
root mass and then put some rocks on top of it so it wouldn't float to the surface.




Another successful job completed said the guy with the smurf hands.

  Whoohoo.

Pond Additions

I received a letter in the mail last week stating the local pond store, "The Lily Pad," was closing it's doors because of the slowing economy.  When I talked to the owner today he told me a local nursery was going to take on the sales and service of pond paraphernalia. 

It's a good news, bad news story for me.  You see, I liked the guy who owned the business and I'm really sorry to see him go, but on the other hand, I really like the local nursery and glad there will still be a reputable business taking care of the needs of people who own ponds. 

Part of the The Lily Pad closing process is the need to get rid of inventory.  Would you believe they are having a "going out of business" sale?  Yep, and this week it's 25% off everything in the store.  Next week on Monday and Tuesday it will be 50% off.  Closed on Wednesday.  On Thursday and Friday it's 70% off or best offer.

So in the name of good consumerism Ginger and I went to the pond store just to look around and see what they still had.  I was surprised that a whole bunch of stock had already been sold.  Then we saw all the fish and the pond plants and I guess got a little caught-up in the moment and bought 5 fish and 6 plants.  

Two of the plants we bought are, hopefully, going to be lily pads starting in the spring.  I had to wade into the pond (it was pretty cool to my 'ol legs), remove some rocks on the bottom, put this mass of roots and stinky mud in the hole and cover with enough rocks to keep it from floating to the surface.  It was a bit challenging as the pond hasn't recovered from "algae August" (lots of algae in the water due to warm water and sun, you'll see the "green water" in the pictures below) and I couldn't see what I was doing.  At least nothing bit me.

The rest of the plants were either in pots or just bare roots that were placed in the rocks.  They will secure themselves as the roots grow.  We're hoping there is enough growing season left for them to secure themselves before they give it up for the winter.

Below are pictures of the plants (sans the lily's) as well as the fish before we released them. 

WhooHoo!

Toadlet Sighting!

It was Wednesday, September 8 when Ginger saw some movement out of the corner of her eye.  She thought it was a leaf at first but then realized it was a tiny toadlet.  The little guy was in the front yard doing whatever these little guys do.  I was able to capture him and get a close look but have to report he wasn't wearing his name tag so I don't know which one he was.

I got a few pictures.  He was very small.  I would guess about 1 1/4 inches from lips to butt. 

We also got a report from a neighbor that a "huge" toad was sitting on the sidewalk in front of our house on this same day at sunset.  She first thought it was a rock and was going to kick it.  Lucky for both of them she realized it wasn't a rock.  She was grossed out to find a toad on the sidewalk.  "Euuwwww" was how she described it.  These toads better watch out if they don't get steped on or kicked a B-52 (blue heron) may swoop down and relieve them of their lives while enjoying them for a snack.

I just love it when the Toad Daddy runs into one of his own.

Whoohoo.

First Hawk of the 2010 Fall Season

I won't argue with you about when fall actually starts.  In fact I'll even concede that it's still summer.  That's nothing but calendar stuff just like daylight saving time... smoke.  The real indicator of fall is when the summer temperatures start to fade from our memories, the trees and plants start to cycle down and when the hawks start dropping by in an effort to reduce the bird population.

We had our first (observed) hawk earlier this week, Tuesday I believe, around noon.  S/he was a beauty and luckily I got a few pictures of this majestic creature before Alejandro F. started filling the pond scaring the hawk away.

Here are three of the pictures I was lucky enough to get.  Not bad are they.

So what kind of hawk is this?  I don't know for sure.  My first thought was a "sharp-shinned hawk" but I read in my Peterson Field Guide that they have red eyes.  As you can clearly see, this beauty has the nicest blue eyes.  I like the color.

We, Ginger and I, figured it was either a Cooper's Hawk or a Harrier Hawk, and definitely a juvenile.  A query to a friend in Denver who queried a friend in Denver report they think it is a Juvenile Cooper's Hawk.  So that's the story and I'm stick'n with it.

Whoohoo.

First Sign of Fall

It seems too early in the year to be seriously talking about fall but it appears to be sneak'n in the back door.  The things that make the fall season are varied and plentiful.  There is football, lower temperatures, if your growing garlic it has to be in the ground soon, school is back in session, every tomato in the whole world becomes ripe, snow starts to fall in the mountains, Charlie Brown doesn't kick the football, migrating birds start head'n south, The Chase starts in NASCAR, the clocks FALL back when daylight saving time is suspended, the Fall Lineup begins on television, you can't find any shorts or tank-tops in Wal-Mart, it's dark when you finish dinner and it's dark when you get out of bed in the morning, you see squirrels but no acorns, trick or treaters, the Fall Harvest comes in, mosquitoes disappear, it's chilly or maybe even cold in the shade, pumpkins start showing up in the store, it takes more hot water for a comfortable shower, the air conditioning is replaced by the heater, you blow out your sprinkler system, the hawks return to our backyard, space heaters start appearing under desks, sweaters, Granny Smith apples are in season, long pants, there are no more Farmer's Market sales, finally the leaves on the trees change color before falling to earth... then it's winter.

A fall leaf stuck in the waterfall.

Pampas Grass Flowers

This is the time of year when the pampas grass flowers and goes to seed.  The birds will begin to feed on these seeds in late September until the seeds are gone.  The reward for these wonderful people who planted the pampas grass is also this time of year when our eyes fall on the feathery flowers.

The afternoon sun shines onto the flowers.  The result is sometimes stunning outlines and highlights of the flowers. 

This pampas grass is a tall native to southern South America.  This includes, are you ready, the pampas for which it is named.  Can you imagine.  The grass in our yard will grow to about 7 feet.  In the temperate climates of California, Hawaii and parts of Spain it is considered an invasive weed.  One mans weed is another mans flower... or something like that.  We like our pampas grass and don't consider it a weed.

In any case, here are a few pictures of our pampas grass that have caught our eye.

Want to see for yourself?  Well come on over.

Whoohoo!

Gorgeous Gourds

With all this talk about the gourd I bought and it's flash to oblivion, I thought it might be inspiring to tell you, quickly, what happened to the seeds I retrieved from that now vaporized gourd. 
When I drilled a hole in the gourd it was for bird access.  Since the birds didn't enter the gourd I guess the hole I put was actually for the wasp's to enter... or it could be, I suppose, the access point for the propane torch. Take your pick. Let's move on.

I drilled a hole in the dried gourd and dumped out all the dried detritus.  Most of what would have been pulp when the gourd was "green" was now nothing more than a whitish powder and some hard stuff that resembles the walls of a spaceship I saw on the sci-fi channel.  In addition to the detritus there were gourd seeds about the size of sunflower seeds with the husks intact.  I put the seeds in a cup and presented them to she who has a green thumb, Ginger.

This spring Ginger planted some of those seeds in the planter boxes you can see in the picture below.  They had a rough start as there were creatures in the soil that liked to eat baby gourds.  Once discovered they were short work for the man with the poison sprayer... yep, that would be me, your most humble author.

So now we're into late summer and the gourd vine has been struggling during the summer months.  But as things start to cool and the days become shorter the vine growth took off and there are gourds sprouting everywhere.  The vine is just growing like a weed and it had best hurry because it's running out of time.  The gourds are growing so fast we can see a marked difference in them each day.

Female flower.  You can tell by
the sensous curves and full body.

I did learn the gourd has male and female flowers.  The males fertilize the females and then the females produce the fruit/gourd (parents feel free to use this post as an introduction to sex education).  I also learned that sometimes when you take seeds directly from a gourd those seeds produce a plant that is called a "mule."  The "mule" doesn't produce fruit... the plant is sterile like a "mule" (I know parents, we're quickly going over your head... feel free to ask little Johnny to explain about mules).

Male flower, standing erect.

By the end of July when we didn't have any baby gourds and were fearful that we had a sterile (mule) plant.  We just were not patient enough as now the gourds are popping up all over the plant.  All this time has passed since spring when we planted the gourd seeds and just now they are getting around to producing fruit.  This plant was spending the whole summer getting ready for the sprint to the finish line, hopfully beating the freeze.

So with these home grown gourds literally coming to fruition I have to start planning what I'm going to do with them.  I have considered making a bird house out of one but might let that idea pass because of the problem described in the previous post.

I know, this is a great idea!  I'll send them out as Christmas presents this year.  I'm sure all the grandkids will love them and probably like the gourds better than the check we usually send.  Yea, I like that idea.

Since we'll be harvesting before Thanksgiving we can make gourd pies.  Heck, pumpkin is part of the gourd family... why not our gourds?

Oh my, what a season it's going to be.  Gourd pie, gourd Christmas presents. I'll save a special pair of gourds, paint them and give them to Ginger and call 'em maracas.  She'll be happier with home grown maracas than that white fox coat I bought her some years ago... I'm sure she will love 'em.

Oh I love it when a plan comes together.

Anyone wanting a gourd just let me know, we'll have plenty.

Whoohoo!

Who is Living in the GBN?

In the previous post I told you about my gourd.  The drying process and painting... all that stuff.  This is what happened to the gourd turned bird nest (GBN).

In the spring, with the GBN sorta securely mounted atop a 10 foot copper pipe I was now ready for the birds to make it a home rather than just a gourd on a pipe.  I waited and waited. I never saw a single bird even approach the gourd.  For some reason the birds were not attracted to the gourd as a home... or anything else for that matter.  All spring and most of the summer I waited... the birds were having nothing to do with that gourd.

Then, about 2 or 3 weeks ago I noticed wasps coming in and out of the gourd. I hate wasps. I broke out the handy-dandy yellow and black can of wasp killing foam spray. I planned my exit route with care, just in case I had to run from incensed, angry wasps. The back door to the house was unlocked and the gate to the front yard was blocked open. That was escape plan A and B respectively. Plan C was to jump in the pond... the deep end if I could remember. Alternatives are a good thing when dealing with wasps... especially when your intentions are of the killing kind.

The can indicated the spray was good from 20 feet. I estimated I was about 15 feet away so I let 'em have it. I sprayed until the foam was bubbling out the entrance. I saw a few wasps floating in the foam, dead.  Those wasps I liked.  I started to breath again. Then the foam started to fall away from the hole and, would you believe, live wasps came flying out of that hole! 

Holy crap Batman... Plan A was immediately implemented. The can of wasp killing spray was dropped and I was slamming the back door behind me before you could say (enter your favorite long word here). Whew! Safe and sound.

It didn't take long for the surviving wasps to settle and get back to their waspy routine. I decided a more direct and aggressive approach was necessary.  Sure.  I reasoned the wasp nest was hanging from the ceiling of the gourd... mostly because it's hard to hang off the floor. I got out my ladder with the intention of spraying the nest from close range. Armed with the foam spray I cautiously climbed toward the den of yellow, stinging, ornery, tenacious as well as just plain mean (when you try to kill 'em) wasps.

I saw the nest and it was one of the biggest I've seen. About 5 or 6 inches across with layers or tiers. Must have been there for a while to get that big. Probably moved in right after I put it up.  I took a few steps back down the ladder so I could jump to the ground without hurting myself (much) if necessary.  Jump, tuck and roll is not at all realistic for this 'ol guy.  I then took aim and sprayed. I definitely was hitting the nest this time and relaxed more each second as spray continued to fill the gourd. With poison dripping from weep holes in the bottom of the gourd I descended and retreated. A little time was necessary to insure the wasps were dead and let my pounding heart return to 60 some beats a minute.

The wasps were dead.  At least the ones that were home when the attack commenced.

Now I've read that even if you kill all the wasps the larvae might still emerge and repopulate the nest.  Have no idea if this is true but the article indicated a fool-proof way to insure total annihilation... burn the nest using a blow torch. 

Well, I didn't have a blow torch but I did have a propane torch that I used for sweating pipes and it makes a really hot flame.  So I removed the gourd from the 10 foot copper pipe and situated it so I could burn the nest thus saving all humanity from the bites and stings of those future ferocious wasps.

I've found that regardless of every action you take with good intentions (if killing wasp babies is consider good intentions) there is the opportunity for a bad reaction equal to, if not worse than, the opposite of the intended action.  That is to say, if you light your torch, stick it in a gourd you will find the oxygen is almost immediately consumed by the fire and the flame goes out... however, this is a key point now, the propane continues to flow from the torch into the gourd.

Since I'm writing this blog you know a few things.  I am alive.  I have my fingers (all 10 including my 4 thumbs).  I know how to vaporize wasp nests as well as gourds.

It was a lot like when Alejandro T exploded.  There wasn't much of him left laying around (see the post here).  You would think a grown man with over 60 years of experience on this world would know better than to fill a gourd with propane and then fire it off like a stick of dynamite.  The explosion wasn't as loud as dynamite but as far as I'm concerned it was like a nuclear bomb.

The gourd was history and the wasp nest actually came out better than the gourd... maybe 'cuz it's a bit more flexible.

I'm no longer concerned about wasps in the gourd nor am I concerned about birds nesting in the gourd.  There is no gourd.  Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

Whoohoo

Our Gourd Plant

I'm here today to share with you a smidgen of knowledge I acquired this past week.  As is my way, I can't just blurt it out this information but have to tell you the story. This is about the gourd we bought last year.
There are a plethora of gourds.  They come in all sizes, shapes and colors.  Basically a gourd is a fruit with a hard rind and is oft described as the fruit of the vine.  Gourds are associated with pumpkin, squash and cucumber as they are all grown on a vine.  They have seeds inside thus insuring they are, in fact, of the fruit genre.  Gourds are fun things.  When dried their rind becomes hard and can be cut like thin wood, glued, sanded and painted.  They are great for making everything from bird houses to table center pieces.  With a little imagination you can create all kinds of gourd art (click here for some Google images). 

So much for the gourd introduction.  About this time last year I purchased a newly picked gourd.  It was green and full of whatever is inside gourds.  It needed to be dried.  To that end I set it outside on a rock where it would get a lot of sun.  It lived on that rock until December when the single digit temperatures were forecast.  I then moved it to the garage where it spent the winter and some of the spring.  I would turn it from time to time so it was never sure what side was the top and what side the bottom.  This was to prevent rot.

When I could shake the gourd and hear the seeds inside rattle around like maracas it was time to decide what I was going to create.  Would you be surprised if I said I decided on a bird house?  I'm so predictable.

I sanded the hard rind and then painted it a nice light green.  Then I drilled a hole in the front of the gourd to give the birds access.  I used a screwdriver to clean out what I could of the dried interior and dumped the seeds into a plastic cup.  Then I screwed the gourd to a stake, took it to it's new home which was at the top of a 10 foot copper pipe and waited for the birds to make it home.

I could see in my minds eye the little sparrows flitting in and out of the gourd.  The biggest bird house on the lot and it was up for grabs to the first birdy entrepreneur to take the leap of faith to enter the dark hole posing as a entrance but might just as easily appeared to the sparrows as a  "wide mouthed sparrow eater" sitting on top of that 10 foot copper pipe.

Stay tuned for the continuing story about the gourd on top of the 10 foot copper pipe.  It gets better.

Whoohoo.

I Can Name That Frog in 7 Letters

Just when I though we were through with toads and frogs for the season, who shows up?  I didn't know.  He wasn't wearing a name tag.  I did get his picture so maybe you recognize him.

I did find out this frogs clan.  He is a Leopard Frog.  I guess they were naming Leopard Frogs long before they had camouflage clothing as that was my first guess for this guy... a Camouflage Frog.  OK, so your mind doesn't work like mine... we can still be friends.

Ginger noticed him swimming in the skimmer pond gave a holler for me to come see.  I was fortunate enough to get a few pictures before he tired of the attention and took a dive.  Haven't seen him since.

I still find it fascinating that we have all these aquatic creatures in the high desert.

Whoohoo.

All We're Missing is the Earthquake!

For the second time this week we are beset with heavy rain, strong as in very strong wind and a decent lightening storm.

On Monday our little town received the most rain since 1901. It was coming down in sheets and pillowcases. It was raining so hard I had to pull over as I couldn't see past the end of my truck. It was raining so hard I considered taking the boat. It was raining so hard the birds were turning their nests upside down and using them for umbrellas. Ya kinda get'n the idea it was raining hard?

The next day, that would be Tuesday, it was sunny and warm. Wednesday was partly cloudy but still nice.

This morning I woke early to find it was raining. It rained off and on all day. A little sun. A few clouds, Then some rain.. a little sun... My kind of day.

About 2 hours ago the wind started to blow and the rain came down again. I was having flashbacks to Monday. Stuff was flying through the yard and not even stopping to kiss the earth. Plant pots were blown over. The trash cans were rolling around. The tumble weeds were moving so fast if one hit you it would knock you down, not to mention stick you with those nasty nettles. I thought the roof was going to blow off.

And then there was a gift from the winds. A blue tarp blew into our backyard from points south and west. I now own a 4th tarp and never bought a single one.

Guess there was a pony in there somewhere!

Leaving Home for Points Unknown

I'm not sure whether I should call this little creature a toadlet or a baby toad. For the last couple of days I've wanted to capture one of the ever dwindling number of toadlets just to see how they've changed. Yesterday I only saw one toadlet and he was so shy I couldn't get him into the net. Today I was prepared to spend some time trying to capture one as there aren't going to be many more chances this year.

I approached the pond stealthily. I snuck up to the edge and spied a toadlet on a rock about 8 inches deep. I slowly lowered the net so as not to spook the little critter. As the net got closer and closer I went slower and slower. The net was within inches of my target when he zipped down into the murky water. For my purposes that was a one way trip as he was not to return while I was around.

I was about to give up as I couldn't see anymore toadlets when I noticed what I thought was a water spider or maybe just a drowning bug schooch'n around on the surface. I dipped the net into the pond and lifted him out. Lo and behold it was the toad you see below. I guess he got his new lungs filled with air and then didn't know how to dive when the big giant approached.

This guy is so tiny.  I measured my thumb nail from quick to tip and it is exactly 5/8 of an inch.  Our brand new toad is smaller than that, maybe 1/2 inch.

His tail is just a bump on his rump.  If it was still there he would be an inch long, give or take.  The picture (left) is blurry for which I apologize.  My granddaughter isn't here to take the pictures.  You can, however, get a real good idea how small these guys are.

This picture (right) was the only other one that was not so blurry that you could see the toad.  He sure looks lonely sitting on the net. 

Right after this picture was taken he jumped out of the net onto the table.  I was quite concerned he might jump off the table and that would have been a 4 foot leap to the ground.  He doesn't look like superman to me and luckily I was able to get him back in the net before he tried to leap tall tables in a single bound.  I promptly put him back in the pond where he floated on the surface.  I moved him to the shore and he was happy to latch onto a familiar rock.

There probably won't be any more pictures of this years fleet.  If we are lucky enough to spot any toads in the flower bed I'll make an effort to get a picture and report about it in the blog.  I think we are about done with toadlets (pondlets?) and will be looking at the waning of summer in the next 3 to 5 weeks, then into the shorter days of fall.

Whoohoo!

The Fleet's First Toadlet to Toad

I can't put into words how excited I am to be able to show you the pictures of a toad that just 26 days ago was a newly laid egg.
    
It's mid afternoon, an overcast day.  Temperature is in the low 80's.  I'm standing on the bridge with my granddaughter when she exclaimed, "look grampa, it's a toad!"  Sure enough this brand new toad had just crawled out of the pond and was resting on a rock, the water trail still showing it's short trek.  

I ran (well, walked really fast) to the house and got my camera.  I passed it on to Becca and she started snapping pictures.   

I've read a lot of accounts of people having toads in their ponds and don't recall any reports of seeing a toad emerge from the pond.  Everything I've read is either it's a tadpole or it's a toad and nothing about the transition day.  I believe this it the first time this creature crawled out of the pond onto terra firma... OK, onto a rock. 

Enjoy the pictures I believe are of a rarely witnessed event.  

This little guy is about an inch long, maybe a little less, from nose to the end of it's tail.

Summer Big & Summer Small

During my inspection of the Fleet today I noted that some of the toadlets are much smaller than others.  If I didn't know better I would think there has been a little undetected hanky-panky going on in the pond.  I have no idea why they aren't all the same size or at least close... maybe my eyes are going fast in my old age and what I'm seeing are snails... naw, snails don't have little legs and tails and propel these guys around the pond like a bunch of black sperm in search of the prize.  I'm going to chalk it up to another of Mother Nature's tricks. 

I saw one Typhoon Class Submarine look'n guy with legs about 1/2 inch long and a head comparable to the size of my pinkie (if you have no idea what the size of my pinkie is then come on over and take a look).  The little ones are about half-pinkie size.  The typhoon class guys are in the majority and if your patient you can see a plethora of them in deeper parts of the pond.

It won't be long before we start finding little toads in the flower beds.  I love it when we see them as they are so cute and just miniature adults.  I hope I can get a few pictures of the babies after they start to come ashore from their submarine duty.  Here is a link to some of last years baby pictures.

With August just around the corner the algae is coming on strong.  We need that Woodhouse's Toad couple to come back for another romantic weekend so we will have more algae eaters trying to stay up with August Algae (a wicked green wench).

Teeny Tiny Toes

The toadpoles are growing almost as fast as the algae.  I was eye-balling the fleet today and thought I saw the beginnings of their hind legs.  It was difficult to tell as the water is getting murky and the toadlets are afraid of anything that moves.  I finally captured one in a mason jar and got an up-close and personal view of the appendage area.  Sure enough there are itsy-bitsy-teeny-weenie legs growing.  I mean to tell you these legs are really small but there is no doubt they are legs.

These toadlets were just new eggs on July 9, only 17 days ago.  With the growth of legs they also start changing in many other areas.  Their mouths will start to change from round to that wide grin that toads and frogs are known.  They will change their insides to be able to digest bugs and such versus only eating algae and detritus now.  Their lungs will develop and they will slowly loose their gills.  There are so many changes going on with these guys it's amazing.  Amazing about the changes and amazing about how fast they come about.

Love this mother nature stuff.

Whoohoo!

Growing Old in Toadlet Pond

We went on a heat retreat to Ourey, Colorado and enjoyed the sites and ambiance not to mention my granddaughters 10th birthday.  Upon our return I prepared for a trip to Denver.  I left for Denver then next day to check on #1 son.  I'm now home, safe and sound, securely entrenched in my well worn rut.  Comfortable it is.

Of course this has nothing to do with toads or the pond.  I'm work'n up to it... some of these things take a little time.

I was out this morning checking on the toadpoles and was briefly alarmed as there was nary a toad yet a fleet!  I soon discovered that in my absence these little guys have discovered that moving things are scary and toadlets should hide if movement is observed.  I had moved and they hid.  They hid good enough that I couldn't see them(amazing huh).  I was still for a short time and they came out of hiding and resumed their routine of eating algae and eating algae.

My oh my have they grown and in the past 5 or 6 days.  At least doubling in size.  That equates to being a half-inch long or a little more and growing a fat body with a small tail.  It's been 13 days since they were "born" or "deposited" or "purged" or "laid" from/by momma toad.  So much change in so little time.

Here is a picture:

Whoohoo!

They're Everywhere!

I can't believe how fast things are changing in the toadlet arena.  When I checked on the "fleet" this morning I find they have spread out to every pond.  That means dozens have taken the wild ride through the skimmer and pump to be spit out of the water pipe into the bio-falls.  While there are still about half stick'n close to their birth-rock the rest have ventured to all points of the compass.

Whoohoo!

Growing Fast

What a change we've see in just one day.  Some of the toadpoles have moved as far as the bridge to the west and Humpty Dumpty Falls to the east.  There are a few swimming in the middle of the bridge pond.  In the area where the eggs were laid much of the algae has been eaten and is cleaner than it was just yesterday.  Even with a thousand or more of these little algae eaters I doubt if we will run out of food for them.

Once again I offer pictures of the "fleet."  While it is very similar to yesterdays pictures these creatures are actually a day older than they were... so there.

This shows the toadlets more dispursed than they were one day ago.

The red rock is the same one in yesterdays post but the toadpoles have bigger heads.  Pictures by Becca.

There are a few tadpoles in this picture.  This is the area were the eggs were laid.  I thought it was a
pretty neat picture with the reflection so decided to share.

Whoohoo!

Toadpole 2010 Update

It was only a few days ago, Sunday to be specific, when we saw some tails sticking out of a few eggs.  They would swish back and forth and then rest.  From my perspective it appeared they were trying to get out of their egg.  On Monday we could see many individual tadpoles with more on the way.   Here it is Tuesday and ALL the eggs have hatched and there are hundreds if not a thousand of these little toadpoles hang'n around their birth-rock.  It seems to take them a couple of days to get going as they haven't strayed very far from home.  I assume they are still developing and figuring out how they are going to eat all that algae in the pond.  They can have it all as far as I'm concerned.

I took some pictures to give y'all a better idea of what is happening in a toadlets world.  Their length is approximately an eighth of an inch from the tip of their nose to the end of their tail.  In a few days they will have dispersed throughout the ponds.  If you go to last years posts about the toadlets you'll find that they survived going in the skimmer, through the pump and being spit out into the bio-falls.  They are tough little guys.

I wonder if we will have another batch this year... never satisfied I guess.

Whoohoo!!

Tons of Toad Eggs Just Appeared!

Whooooohoooooo... I'm going to be a Toad-Daddy again!!!

Today started out just like any other day.  I awoke too early but couldn't go back to sleep; I made coffee; I fed the birds.  Then, the first bump in my mundane daily routine on Red Tail Ridge.  Our silent resident toad was sitting on the patio by the steps that go into the house.  I stopped to talk with s/he but the toad had nothing to say so I went into the house.  Looking out the window I watched the toad hop along the patio and disappear under my wooden box that stores everything I hold dear except for what's in the garage.

When Ginger got home from the gym she went out to water and I was telling her there may be a toad under the wooden box.  A few minutes later Ginger told me the toad was not under the wooden box but in the "spa" with another toad on her back.  Then she added the fantastic news that there were "a ton of eggs" in the pond.  That was enough to almost make me choke on my peanut butter and dill pickle sandwich.

The whispering of sweet nothings, the special look, the raised eyebrow, the tempting smile and then the wink, was all it took and then, just then, the big geewhiz began.  Sometime between 8:00 AM this morning and noon the female's eggs were expelled, immediately fertilized by the male, to fall onto the rock as pictured below.  Oh the heat, the passion.  You don't think I should rate this post XXX do you?

Working on the assumption the male is a fertile guy... uno, no major accidents riding his bike when he was a kid or exposed to too much radiation when hang'n in the womb...  we will have toadlets, tadpoles or toadpoles.  By what name you refer to these creatures makes no difference.  Mother Nature at work just makes me excited.

So here are a few pictures:

Can you find the toads in this picture?  Not near as easy as looking for an insect on a daisy!  If you can't find them
let me know (via comment if you like) and I'll give you a hint.

As you can see, the male is much smaller than the female.  I just love the way he "hugs" her.  If I could only hear and understand what he's saying to her... bet it sounds a lot like Peppy LePew of Loony Tunes origin.

I'm wondering if the reason the toad was so silent was the male wasn't around and it was the female we kept seeing.  The females don't croak as it's the males job to be aggressively pursuing her and fending off other suitors.

 Just below the feet of the toads pictured above and in the next couple of photos you see the "ton" of eggs. 

Last year it took 5 or 6 days for the eggs to hatch into toadpoles... very small toadpoles.  I expect it to be about the same amount of time this year.  It's the temperature of the water that is the main item in determining gestation of the eggs.

All this is very exciting for me.  Probably making my fan yawn just reading all this drivel. 

More pictures of future toadlets.

Do you remember the difference between toad eggs and frog eggs?  If you don't know the difference you need to re-read this blog.  

This is your Toad-Daddy signing off!







Whoohoo!!!

Daisy! It's the 4th of July...

I believe it was the TV show "Duke's of Hazard" that had the Daisy that I couldn't stop goggling.  That show started back in 1979.  So let's do a little math... take 2010 and subtract 1979 from that you get... let's see now... damn can't even figure it out with my shoes off... OH! I think that would be 31 years ago.  An interesting fortuity is I would have been that same age... 31 that is. 

I was briefly tempted to post a picture of Ms. Daisy Mae Duke but must admit that fire has diminished somewhat and the picture, mental picture, doesn't do for me what it once did.  Maybe I should post a picture of the "Over the Hill Gang!"

So this 4th of July I present to you, my loyal fan, with this beauty of the day.  The daisy's pictured below were digitized just this morning.  I think they are glorious flowers that seem to worship the summer day.  A fitting flower for the 4th of July.

Can you find the insect in this picture?  Yea, it wasn't that hard was it?

Whoohoo!

Vegtable Toad

The silent toad was gone for 4 or 5 days but has returned.  This guy reminds me of a pickle.  He is green, bumpy and doesn't do much.  Have you ever seen a pickle do anything?  I sure haven't and that's exactly what this toad is doing... nothing. 

Unless his brother who lives at the Playboy Mansion comes by and gives his pickle look'n sibling a few pointers we can just forget any toadlets blessing the pond this season.

Maybe he's got a trick or two up his green sleeves (they should make a song titled that) to entice a green damsel to let him have his way with her but the enticement will have to be on a par of put'n a man on the moon.

Maybe I can order some toadlets on the internet...  now that's a thought.  Not a very good one, but a thought.

Whoohoo

Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow, Hypertufa-Wow-Wow

"Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" is a 1962 novelty nonsensical doo-wop song by The Rivingtons. If you don't know what doo-wap is then your probably very young and inexperienced in the ways of the world. Right, sure, anything you say 'ol man. OK I admit 1962 was 48 years ago... To me that seems like just last week. I was about 14 and invincible, had my first job at $0.93/hr, ready to move up a grade in school. Life was sweet (I can't help myself but to say, if I only knew then what I know now).

So why bring up doo-wap and that dopey titled song? Because, grasshopper (another reference to times of pre-gray hair) I wanted to tell about my new hypertufa pot, not trough, and was trying to be a little entertaining. Can you say that again? I didn't quite hear you. I said, little is right... very little in the entertainment genre.

OK, I'll quit B.S.'n and just put up the pictures.

Note the face and the little guy seems to be wearing a hat.

From this angle you can see he also has rocks in his head.

I was trying to explain to my granddaughter that you can't always get things right the first time you try to make something.  Sometimes you have go keep trying and then you will get better and better each time you try.  She gave me the look!

My next hypertufa creation will be in color...  Stay tuned boys and girls.

Whoohoo!

Maybe He Is Confused...Mosquito Control Visit

Who may be confused you ask... I'm referring to the toad that moved in. 

He appeared to have the manner of the strong, silent type in that he could be seen, hard to scare and very quiet.  I was thinking that maybe he was a juvenile and too young to mate and too stupid to hide (probably never heard of blue herons).  Of course it's really hard to mate when there is only one of you.  God knows I've had my turn in that situation... but this isn't the forum for that story.  Anyway, this toad was silent. 

Then all of a sudden at dusk he started croaking and color me orange like the great pumpkin if he didn't croak all night.  Yea... that's more like it, I thought.  Call those sweet green darlings to your wet haven.  He croaked for 3 nights in a row, starting at dusk and only stopping when the horizon got light and then back to the silent treatment.

We haven't seen any potential mates or any other toads at all.  I guess on top of being the strong, silent type he is also a loner.  So while I was really thinking we would have a batch of toadlets this year it's not looking so good now.  There is still time!  I know there's a pony in here somewhere.  If you know any homeless toads... send 'em on over.

An interesting aside:  The Grand River Mosquito Control lady came to my door on Monday... actually it was my garage door as I was futzing in the garage.  She asked if I would allow her to check out my pond for mosquito's.  I told her if she could put up with my stories about having a pond she was welcome to come and look, sit, check, have coffee any 'ol time she wanted.  She passed on the coffee and having a seat but was stuck listening to me.  She did scoop some water into her official white cup-on-a-stick and inspected and detected.  I have been officially declared a mosquito free zone.

I'm here to tell you those damn skeeters might not be growing up in my pond but they sure are stopping buy for meals as my arms, legs and neck can attest.

So that's the latest from Red Tail Ridge...  Whoohoo

Beauty... In the Eye of the Beholder

They are beautiful to me.   Of course I'm a bit prejudice since it was my idea to add some color.  OK, a lot prejudice.

I'm referring to the diamond shaped  "windows" with the stained glass panes (before you say it, yes, if turned 45 degrees they would be square windows).

When the sun shines upon them from the front or rear they will be even more beautiful, as if that's possible.  I realize, of course, that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I not only made these stunning works of art I am also the beholder of same. 

I'm not sure how I came about the idea of hanging some stained glass in the pergola.  I like the way it looks.

Whoohoo!

Half a Toad Couple

Yesterday we were visited by a Woodhouse's Toad (AKA Rocky Mountain Toad).   I was thinking the toads were not going to show up this year... Whew!  Now we have half a couple.  I haven't heard any evening serenade's but since I've only spotted a single toad maybe there isn't anyone to try and woo or a rival to bluster.  I'll try and be patient.

This toad showed up about a month later than the toads did last year.  The reason might possibly be the very cold winter, the colder than usual spring or both.  Whatever the reason at least now we have a hope we may have toadlets by July or August.

Aren't y'all excited?

Whoohoo...

Hypertufa

Have you ever heard of hypertufa (pronounced hyper-toofa)? If you have then your ahead of most folks however for those of you who answered no or yes I'm going to tell you a little about it.

First, hypertufa is intended as a manufactured substitute for natural tufa, which is a slowly precipitated limestone rock; being very porous, it is favorable for plant growth. Got that jewel of information from wikipedia.

Now the common definition: It's a planter!  A planter that folks make by combining ingredients, mixing them up, putting them in a mold and then, after it's dry and mature, planting stuff in the planter.

It's easy. It's fun. It's like playing in the mud. The planters will last many years.

Last week I conned my granddaughter into making her first hypertufa planter. Well, actually she only made about half but she is only nine so I cut her a little slack and mixed up the stuff for her. Her job was to get her gloves all messy and decorate the edge with rocks.

This planter to the left was one of the first we built.  Actually the first we built is under this planter and we're using them for legs.  They are a bit on the small side once you calculate the walls of the "legs" are about 2 inches thick thus leaving a hole for the plants to be about 4 inches.  Way too small for the likes of these desert dwellers.

We don't call our hypertufa pots, pots.  We call them troughs because they look more like troughs than pots to us.  Seems reasonable don't you think?

The picture on the right is another hypertufa trough that you will be surprised to hear is sitting in a pile of rocks.  Never would have thought that would ya?  We placed the trough in the rocks because we couldn't think of a better place to put it.

Below is our granddaughters creation.  It is in the curing stage and won't be mature for at least a month. 

So how do I build a hypertufa creation of my own the lady with the red hair asked.  I'm so glad you asked.

First gather the pieces and parts you'll need.  Those are:

• 1 part Portland cement, 1 1/2 parts peat moss, 1 1/2 parts vermiculite.
• A container like a 5 gallon bucket to mix up the mud.
• Water... but not too much or too little.  Not soup but more like cake dough if your into cakes or engine sludge if your a backyard mechanic.
• Something to actually mix up the mud... I use a 1/2 inch drill with a stirring attachment, if you don't have that then get a brawny guy and a wheel barrow.
• A mold.  This could be a cardboard box lined with plastic or a wood mold you make yourself with a release agent on the wood so the mixture doesn't stick to the wood.  In the picture we used 2 cardboard boxes, the larger for the mud and the smaller for the planter.

Put it all together by mixing the mud and pouring it into the mold.  We poured the bottom and then placed the inner cardboard box on top of that and then poured in the rest of the mud around that box.

You want the walls and bottom to be thick enough so they don't break when being moved.  Experimenting is good but common sense is the best I can suggest.  If you make something really big and heavy it will need to be thicker than if it's just a dainty little thing.

We then cover the whole thing in plastic so it won't dry too fast.  The one pictured has been in the mold since Wednesday and I expect to leave it in the mold probably until a week from Monday (tomorrow).  When I cover it with plastic I don't make it real tight but let it breath a little so it will eventually dry.  I was told that having it dry slowly will make it much stronger... I don't know if they knew what they were talking about but I certainly don't, so I'm passing it on.

Once it's out of the mold just leave it sit outside in the weather for a while.  The cement has lime in it and if you plant something before the lime is gone or cured or what ever happens to it your plants will protest by playing dead only they won't be playing.

There are a number of places on the internet with variations to the above directions.  There is a plethora of different things you can make as well as examples of very ornate and complicated masterpieces.  There are also different recipes for the mud.  Some folks are really creative so do take a look before you jump into your first project.  There are books on how to do all this too.  Heck, even our local nursery has classes on hypertufa projects.

You'll find that the finished product, be it a rough trough or a dazzling masterpiece, is a great planter.  With the peat moss and vermiculite in the mix it will hold water and also still breath.  One of our first attempts at making a pot had walls that were a bit thin so the hold water thing didn't work very well but it's still around doing duty as a leg.

Give it a try... if you want, call me and I'll come over and help you the first time around.

Whoohoo!