Pondcast 27: Tadpole legs!
A rainy evening called to me for another solo trip to Black Pond. The boys needed some “Mama time” at home. Upon arriving at the pond, the only sounds I heard were that of raindrops on leaves. Had the green frog mating season come to an early end?
Upon seeing a male green frog resting on log were my fears relieved. This gent was simply enjoying the evening precipitation, perhaps reenergizing for a late night reproductive romp.
Sampling in the pond, I encountered a tadpole with a pair of delicate back legs. What tadpole could it be? It was too big to be a spring peeper. Since didn’t hear any wood frogs this year, it was probably not that species. So, this amphibian tyke was either a chorus frog or a grey tree frog. Based on the “Field key to larval anurans” from the United States Geological Society (USGS), I’d bet a dollar that it was a chorus frog. But, I suppose it could be a grey tree frog. You be the judge.
A chorus frog tadpole with legs at Black Pond on 8 July 2010.
Phantom midge larvae were in great abundance as they wiggled throughout my water sample. Daphnia (water fleas) were growing in numbers since their noticeable reappearance in Week 26. These zooplankton are important food sources for many pond organisms, such as phantom midge larvae or backswimmers, one of which was observed this evening.
A dead wolf spider found floating on top of Black Pond.
Floating on top of the pond was a dead wolf spider. There are about 50 species of these large spiders of the family Lycosidae found in Michigan. These hairy-looking brown and black spiders can give arachnaphobics nightmares. Although most wolf spiders hunt on the ground, some species may climb trees while others hunt along pond edges and even dive into the water to catch their prey. Mostly they eat insects or other invertebrates. Some larger females occasionally eat small amphibians or reptiles. The cause of death of this wolf spider is unknown. The investigation is ongoing.
Black Pond on 8 July 2010.
The rainy evening brought out numerous slugs that were spotted climbing trees, crossing the trail, and gliding on logs. A snail or two were also seen delighting in the damp weather. Check out this week’s Video Pondcast to see these invertebrates in action.
You can see all the Pondcast videos by visiting the YouTube channel of Stefan Szumko, AKA slugwhisperer at http://www.youtube.com/user/slugwhisperer.
Stefan Szumko is a middle school science teacher by trade, an outdoor environmental educator by calling, and a homedaddy by choice. He can be reached at slugwhisperer@gmail.com.