From little things big things grow
Feb. 5th, 2026 07:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
merrileemakes posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
common_natureHi common_nature, stonpicnicking_okapi shared their love of this comm as part of February Love Fest and inspired me to join. :)
I have been experiencing nature up close and personal thanks to some frogs. At the end of November, following a rain storm, my Partner and I could hear a frog in our tiny, ornamental garden pond/water feature. We're always so thrilled when this happens!
The next morning when I walked past the pond I saw a pile of bubbles and thought that was cool. The male frog has been making a bubble nest, like a betta fish, pining for a female to come join him (spoiler: I don't know much about frogs).
The next day I went to clean the pond (a bi-weekly feat during summer) and noticed that only only had the bubbles persisted, but some of them had developed little black dots. Oh my god, they're not bubbles they're eggs!
I carefully scooped them into a tub before cleaning the pond.
28 November
The eggs stayed in the tub to save them from the pond filter (which had been clogged when they were laid and wasn't working). I checked on them every day to watch the black dots get bigger.
2 December
I swear you can almost see the neural groove (where the spinal cord forms) in some eggs.
And then suddenly (David Attenborough voice)... Life
3 December
They were so tiny when they hatched. These photos were taken with my phone's zoom lens. I guesstimated there were 70-100 tiny l'il guys. They spent most of their time resting on the side of the tub or on the potted pond plant I put in there.
The guys lived in the tub for the next 2 weeks, growing big on algae on the plant and basic bitch fish food. I very carefully did water changes, with the help of a fish net and a complicated series of buckets.
18 December
I soon realised though that the perfect environment to nurture tadpoles was also the perfect way to raise mosquito larvae. Not good. So the tadpoles will have to go, because I do. not. want more mosquitoes around my house.
I contacted the local frogwatch group to ask for good locations to release these l'il guys out into the world. I figured my care for the first few weeks would have boosted their survival rate but from here they could manage. But frogwatch advised that it's illegal to transport wild amphibians due to the disease risk.
Okay, plan b. Time to baby proof the pond! That'll be in my next post.
common_nature, stonpicnicking_okapi shared their love of this comm as part of February Love Fest and inspired me to join. :) I have been experiencing nature up close and personal thanks to some frogs. At the end of November, following a rain storm, my Partner and I could hear a frog in our tiny, ornamental garden pond/water feature. We're always so thrilled when this happens!
The next morning when I walked past the pond I saw a pile of bubbles and thought that was cool. The male frog has been making a bubble nest, like a betta fish, pining for a female to come join him (spoiler: I don't know much about frogs).
The next day I went to clean the pond (a bi-weekly feat during summer) and noticed that only only had the bubbles persisted, but some of them had developed little black dots. Oh my god, they're not bubbles they're eggs!
I carefully scooped them into a tub before cleaning the pond.
28 November
The eggs stayed in the tub to save them from the pond filter (which had been clogged when they were laid and wasn't working). I checked on them every day to watch the black dots get bigger.
2 December
I swear you can almost see the neural groove (where the spinal cord forms) in some eggs.
And then suddenly (David Attenborough voice)... Life
3 December
They were so tiny when they hatched. These photos were taken with my phone's zoom lens. I guesstimated there were 70-100 tiny l'il guys. They spent most of their time resting on the side of the tub or on the potted pond plant I put in there.
The guys lived in the tub for the next 2 weeks, growing big on algae on the plant and basic bitch fish food. I very carefully did water changes, with the help of a fish net and a complicated series of buckets.
18 December
I soon realised though that the perfect environment to nurture tadpoles was also the perfect way to raise mosquito larvae. Not good. So the tadpoles will have to go, because I do. not. want more mosquitoes around my house.
I contacted the local frogwatch group to ask for good locations to release these l'il guys out into the world. I figured my care for the first few weeks would have boosted their survival rate but from here they could manage. But frogwatch advised that it's illegal to transport wild amphibians due to the disease risk.
Okay, plan b. Time to baby proof the pond! That'll be in my next post.
