All I know about frogs would fill a book about the size of Nancy Pelosi’s new book on “Avoiding Botox”. Yet, I am a frog-ladite. I love the little amphibians.
We have a small lily pond with pads and flowers, and occasionally a frog will show up out of the blue. This spring, dozens and dozens of tiny tadpoles materialized in the pond and we have no idea who the father was or the mother. Or the frog stork. They just showed up.
About a month ago, I attempted to increase my odds of having frogs in the pond, buying two small bullfrogs and two bullfrog tadpoles with legs. The fully developed frogs vanished immediately. I forgot to put “Do Not Leave Pond” signs up and they split. But the bullfrog tadpoles stayed, and now we have no small tadpoles. Everyone is gone.
On the first page of my very small book on frogs, I do know that a bullfrog or a leopard frog will eat anything it can get in its mouth – insects, small rodents, bees, spiders, small birds and yes – other frogs and tadpoles.
So the mystery of the disappearing, tiny tadpoles is solved. There remains the question of – When my two bullfrog tadpoles become actual frogs, will they also split?
I hope not. I really like frogs.