Tadpoles in Our Pond: The Magic Continues!

I am happy to announce that we now have tadpoles in our pond! I am so excited that I feel almost like a proud grandma.

For a while there, I thought it was touch and go and that we might not get any tadpoles at all. That is because the frogs spawned fairly early in February, and the pond froze for several days afterwards. I also started seeing white specks in the spawn instead of black specks. According to my research, this can mean that the eggs are dying.

Happily, many seem to have survived. And they are now in the process of emerging. It has been so much fun observing the process close-up, which is something I have never done before.

The Tadpoles in Our Pond Emerge

I first noticed the tadpoles yesterday, which was an absolutely gorgeous day here in County Kerry. (Full sun, a cloudless blue sky, and no wind.) I came out to inspect the pond and saw little black specks all over the rocks in the bottom, as well as clinging to the sides of the pond. And the spawn in the bottom of the pool had suddenly changed from fluffy gelatinous balls to a much diminished, denser substance.

At first, many of the specks didn’t seem to be moving. But as I sat down on the edge of the pond and observed more carefully, I saw tails wiggling here and there. I also saw a few little tadpoles swimming through the water. Plus a mature frog jumped into the pond and quickly scurried to hide under the remaining spawn.

I’m not sure how many tadpoles we will actually end up with in the pond. One source I read said that just one frog can lay 2,000 eggs, another said she can lay 3,000 eggs, and a third said she can lay 5,000! In any case, it looks like our pond will soon be full of tadpoles.

Which is a good thing, because only 5% or so will survive into adulthood. It seems that tadpoles, froglets and frogs make ideal food for a cornucopia of creatures–from water insects and birds to foxes and hedgehogs. The frogs that do survive can live for seven to eight years. And they are likely to return to the same pond in which they were born when it is time for them to spawn themselves.

So it will be fun to see how many tadpoles in our pond survive into adulthood and return year after year!