When the rains arrived in spring, a bright yellow contractor’s wheelbarrow filled up and over flowed as it sat in the yard. Within two weeks there were tadpoles swimming around, enjoying the six cubic feet of water (44.883 gallons), and that ended the need to use the wheelbarrow. Summer arrived and still it rained. Not once have I needed to cap off the water in my frog pond on wheels. Eventually I gave them a water hyacinth (maturing baby frogs like to climb on something), and an emergency spill over bowl. Tadpoles will wriggle over the edge in heavy rains, which seems so counterintuitive. What they're eating is a mystery to me, maybe little bits of green slime on the edge of their yellow plastic house.
Another frog pond is a welcome sight; there are two others that have functioned as frog nurseries for years. On any pleasant day with elevated humidity they trill and twerp and I like to think it's all my doing. My house sits on a hill and the best way to describe the habitat is a dry upland. From a frog's point of view, it might be less than ideal; they prefer low, squishy places. Not only have I afforded them water bowls to live in but a reliable food source, namely the moths that are attracted to my night flowering plants.
Next to the night garden is my studio, which is delightful but can redirect my focus when the fragrance rises to heady proportions. Inside of the studio there are very bright lights, which shine out the windows and door luring moths and beetles, which in turn bring hungry frogs. When the lights are turned off and the hour is late, walking in the dark is more like tiptoeing; all for fear that I might step on one. The occasional frog scream tells me I missed another one and they jump to safety.
Using a flashlight would make sense and maybe I'll remember one before summer is over or before I accidentally step on a frog. Never before has this been such an issue and speaks to the rain we've received all summer.
My tropical gardens have loved the rain, but some of my favorite perennials have not. A few asters developed black leaves and had to be cut to the ground before they even flowered. The peonies have a serious case of peony botrytis so it's imperative that you remove all of their leaves as you cleanup this fall. Any signs of black spot or leaf fungus will also entail the removal of leaves as they fall to the ground. The spores are alive and will reconstitute themselves with rains next spring.
With each season there are pluses and minuses. Gardeners are appreciative of the rain, it's a plus. And if you had told me that I would have a frog pond in a wheelbarrow, well that's just nonsense!