I have a pond and every year I add some tadpoles. I have great success and in a few months have really sweet frogs. After wintering over however, I usually lose all of them. Does anyone have any tips on what to do to help them make it through the winter. Would a pan of mud on the bottom of the pond help out? I haven't done any research on the Internet yet, but thought perhaps anyone with a pond would be able to give me firsthand information. I live in New Jersey...It goes below freezing here, and last year we had mountains of snow. Thanks! Frogs ( photo / image / picture from drissel122's Garden ) More frogs... ( photo / image / picture from drissel122's Garden ) And even more frogs ( photo / image / picture from drissel122's Garden )
great pics drissell! i'd be curious to know why they aren't making it through the winter months? we have hard frosts and feet of snow here and ours always survive, and we do nothing special. i always thought they kind of hybernated in the mud. is your pond drying out before winter?
No, it doesn't dry out, but it does get layers of ice. The goldfish always live, I have lost some koi. Do you mean the mud on the outside of the pond, or the mud that is at the bottom, of which I have none, only some rocks. Perhaps that is my problem. I am wondering if a few dishpans of mud at the bottom would help. Perhaps the problem will be solved if I get a heater.
is your pool lined drissell? i believe our frogs stayed in the mud in the bottom of the pool during the wintertime. not sure if pans of mud would work...they'd have to be a bit deep i would think. i'm just guessing here.
Bunkie, it is one of those drop in black liners. We have had it forever, and the frogs thrive in the summer, but they don't seem to overwinter well, if at all. I wonder if the best bet would be to try and capture them and take them back to the little lake the tadpoles hatched in.
You have done a great job of getting the little guys grown up. This tells me you have plenty of food in the pond to get them off to a good start. My guess would be they have trouble when they switch to being out of the pond and more terrestial. If they are frogs that frequent ponds year round it could be the size of your pond and lack of a large enough natural habitat in and around the pond. I don't believe a pan of dirt at the bottom of a pond would work. Gold fish and koi would empty the pan of any contents in short order. My ponds have some muck/soil at the bottom of them for water lilies and anachris. I use barley straw to help maintain water clarity and keep the sludge build-up at a minimum. Here are a few questions that you might think about when problem solving: Is your pond and yard (neighbors yards) chemically free? Frogs are like canaries in the coal mine for sensitivity to environmental pollutants. Are there ample plantings around your pond that come to the edge so they can get in and out easily and not be preyed upon? Are there significant areas (large beds) for them to feed/shelter in after they are grown? How large is the pond itself? Is it big enough to support grown frogs with insects/food/shelter? How large are the fish that inhabit it (they stay more active and will feed on dormant froggies if given the opportunity? Are there other predators besides the fish that might like a froggie dinner? I have found that with my city lot frogs have been the hardest to get permanently in the garden. I probably have too many predators. My fish like frog and the ponds without fish the dragon fly larve like frog. Possums and racoons raid my ponds, especially in the winter months when the nights are longer and the dogs are inside. Poor frogs have a hard time of it. Here is a website that has some good information and photos/diagrams for frog habitats. http://www.sustainableschools.act.g...0005/5765/GCG_frog_habitat_br_1-3_-_FINAL.pdf Hope it will get you started on your froggie info gathering. Good luck figuring it out and let us know how it all works out.
Hi there Drissel, I hope I can help you out with your problem a little. Here goes: Taking the frogs back from where you got the tadpoles or spawn won't really help I'm afraid. Male frogs overwinter where they hatch out. The females travel away from the hatching pond to larger bodies of water and return every year to mate. You're problem seems to be the fact that you have nothing for your frogs to bury into during winter months. I think your idea of mud pans may be your answer. Please don't think of adding a heater to your pond as amphibians need the cold winter months to hibernate. We have very hard frosts that can last from October right through until May here in Scotland and my frogs survive without any help from me. One thing you can do is to plop a plastic ball into your pond before the bad weather hits as this can help keep some of the water from freezing and therefore allows more oxygen into the water. If you have any further questions feel free to ask me and I'll see if I can be of any more help.
My pond in August ( photo / image / picture from drissel122's Garden ) Beating the Heat ( photo / image / picture from drissel122's Garden ) Water lettuce and goldfish ( photo / image / picture from drissel122's Garden ) Jewell, Thanks for the great information. My pond is very naturalized for a plastic liner. I have had it for years and have a lot of ivy growing over the rocks surrounding it. I have included three photographs that I just ran outside and took, you can see that I have a lot of water hyacinths and water lettuce. I no longer use a filter. I found the filter did nothing to clear the water of debris and algae. Instead, the plants keep the water clean, and I clarify the water every now and then by scooping out several inches and adding more water. This has never bothered the fish or the frogs. In the second picture one little frog posed for me underneath a leaf where it is still cool at mid-day. I think he thought I could not see him. I am wondering if the ivy around the pond, and the extensive roots they have is the reason the frogs can't bury down around the pond. My yard is chemical free, but my neighbors have landscapers come in the summer. The frogs still thrive all summer long. The frogs get out of the pond in the evening, I am sometimes surprised by how far they move around. I think they scout out the plentiful cricket population in my grass. I do have a lot of natural predators...hawks are thriving in this area, and I have seen racoons in my yard when I have turned my light on in the night. Thank you for the website, I will check that out. Eileen, the mud in pans would probably be worth a try. I have small feeder goldfish just because it makes me feel good to save them from being eaten, and they don't get really big...maybe five to six inches tops right now, I don't think they care to move mud around or out of pans, so I think it won't hurt to give it a try this year. The plastic ball in the center is a very good idea....Thank you for that. I am a half mile from where I found the tadpoles and I live near other creeks, etc. Hopefully, something will help, so these cute frogs can live.
Your pond area looks lovely and I can see why your frogs love it and do so well. I hope you can remedy the problem of wintering over. It looks like a place that would be very "silent" without frogs.
I've been giving your situation more thought Drissel - hope I'm not boring you too much. :-? Maybe your frogs aren't dying off during the winter at all(unless of course you're finding their bodies.) I think they may be returning to their home to hibernate. If you take tadpoles from a water source then they will return to that place when they feel the colder weather coming. This is because they actually hatched out in the pond half a mile away from you and not in your own pond. If you want to add tadpoles to your pond next year then here's a little tip for you. Instead of removing the tadpoles themselves remove some frog spawn instead. As you have fish I think it would be best if you keep the spawn in a large container and add some of your own pond water to it until they hatch. Fish think of frog spawn as a rather tasty treat I'm afraid!! You should then be able to introduce the tadpoles to your pond. The frogs will, in time, begin laying their own spawn in your pond as they will consider it'home.' However, remember that frogs take 2 years to mature enough to breed. Remove any spawn they do lay and keep it away from your fish until it hatches. Good luck and let us know how you get on won't you?
You have the same frogs we have in Texas and one thing you need to remember is ,they travel. That is normal for them. They will go from pond to pond. Your pond presents a problem for hibernation because of the ivy and plants you have. Water plants are ok as long as there isn`t too many. But english ivy has such an extensive root system that a frog couldn`t dig in if he wanted to. And mud in pots will not help. As most frogs do not hibernate under water and the ones I am aware of that do, hibernate within a few feet of the shoreline.. A few of yours might dig in under rocks but they have to be able to find them and the ground must be reasonably loose. I would almost bet that if you looked under the ground at the roots of the ivy, they would be so congested that there is no place for a frog to hibernate. I think that is why yours are leaving. Habitat is just not suitable for winter months.
I think you are right Mart, I have thought the same thing. Hopefully, the frogs will find another home in a homeowner's pond, or in the nearby creek or other ponds. I do have another garden right beside the pond that is ivy free...I don't think they would have a problem at all getting into that ground. I'm wondering if I should make a point of keeping that ground very moist in Autumn so that if they get the urge to dig in, the ground will be soft.
Where they dig in to hibernate will be in the immediate vicinity and as close as possible to the water as they can get. Their skin has to stay moist so adding extra water during drier days will help. Since your pond doesn`t allow water to seep into the ground you can add a sprinkler that will keep the surrounding ground moist. Just use it as necessary. I have an old country sink that is by our well house and sitting in the dirt for the birds and dogs to drink from. Every year a few frogs take up residence there. When leaves fall into it the frogs hide under the leaves and give the dogs a scare when they swim out while they are taking a drink.
