Our tadpoles are finally growing up and turning into frogs! I wrote about our tadpole guests last spring when we rescued several hundred from the pool winter cover. (You can read that post here.)
Tadpole Haven
In June through mid-August Dave fed them cooked up shredded lettuce, but they weren’t getting very big. He switched to regular fish food and also installed air bubble stones to increase the oxygen in the water.
Tadpole Pond in September with Bubble Stone and Umbrella
Some of the tadpoles developed legs this week!
Tadpole with Legs
And some have not.
Tadpole with Legs and One Without
And we even have a baby frog.
Tiny Baby Frog on Edge of Tadpole Pool September 24, 2015
The ground will freeze in late October or November so the tadpoles need to grow up fast and hop away to have time to finish developing and burrow into the ground while it’s soft.
I’m a little worried about all the tadpoles that still look like fish, no sign of legs, still slim with long tails. If they haven’t turned into frogs by late October we’ll have to take them to the river and let them loose. That should give them a chance, where if they stay here in the kiddie pool they will freeze.
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