A Little Frog Blog

After all chance of frost had gone earlier this year (2015) I reinstated my over-wintered Chinese Dragon pot. I decided it would make a great mini pond.

I went to the bottom of the garden to a wild pond we have known as the Bottom Pond. It was a bit choked so I weeded it a bit and then selected some starwort to, hopefully, keep the water clear in the new mini pond. It was impossible not to also 'select' other plants and wildlife as well. I let little nymphs and squiggly things, including some tadpoles, drop gently back into their home and hurried up to the top of the garden to plant up the Dragon in the Little Garden by the house.

Bottom Pond after weeding out

Little Garden

It's very easy to do. Put some water in the bottom of the pot. Select an attractive weighty stone or brick. Mine was a sea-worn lump of masonry (I'm a beachcomber) and this held the plant in place. Gradually add more water and build up stones/pebbles etc to look attractive and natural. This allows birds and bees to drink without drowning.

A few days later, when the water had settled and cleared, I was surprised to see a large tadpole near the surface. It had survived its journey from the Bottom Pond, being dragged out of the pond, plunged into a bucket, carried up to the new location and then tipped into the Dragon pot. It seemed better to leave it lonely in its new home.

I saw it occasionally over the next few weeks but it always quickly zipped out of sight. My other half suggested I should add even more pebbles to allow the tadpole to get out when hopefully it changed into a frog. This done we stepped back to wait...

On Monday 6th July 2015 as I stepped out of the back door and looked across the Little Garden I saw the new arrival posing in the sun. Here is our new frog still with tadpole tail. Seeing these close-ups (thank you to my other half for the great photos) you should now also be able to spot it on the top image too!

...and back into the pond