Flood 2017 - The Storm

Last month I was describing the drought conditions currently being experienced at Blue Jay Barrens. I believe it’s safe to say that that particular period of drought has come to an end. On July 6, Blue Jay Barrens was the recipient of 6+ inches of rain in a period of less than 12 hours. The resulting flood conditions far surpassed anything we have ever experienced here in the past.

The rain began around 1:30 AM and continued until 8:30 AM. During that time approximately 3 ½ inches of rain fell. Our dry soils were able to accommodate most of that water and very little runoff occurred. The weather was clear for the next few hours, until a storm formed over the area around 12:20 PM. During the next hour, 2 ½ inches of rain was added atop soils which had nearly reached their saturation point. Runoff began immediately and the majority of that 2 ½ inches of water flowed overland across the landscape. The video above shows the runoff from a watershed only a few acres in size as it crosses the driveway in front of our house. The video begins during the most intense part of the storm and ends about five minutes after the rain stopped.

Even though I was dismayed at the magnitude of the disaster unfolding before me, I got some pleasure at viewing the scene shown in the photo above. The clear water coming in from the left is flowing from my field that has been managed for the past 30 years as tallgrass prairie. The muddy water to the right comes from neighboring properties and the Township road. When I first bought this property, all of that runoff water would’ve been muddy. It’s nice to see that my management efforts are having some positive effects.

The former access road, now grassed over, carries the excess floodwater past the prairie display garden and dumps it over the bank into the pond. Water from a more normal runoff event would all have gone through the shrubbery to the right.

With the pond’s primary spillway overloaded, water overtops the dam. This is something that has not occurred since I moved here.

During a year with more typical rainfall, the pond would currently be down to just a puddle and raccoons would be devouring the last of the tadpoles. Gray Treefrog tadpoles generally have a poor time of it in the pond. They breed later than most of the other frogs and the tadpoles generally don’t have time to fully develop before the water disappears. This flood event has been a boon to the Gray Treefrog population.

Thanks to all this water, I’ll be seeing many more of these newly morphed Gray Treefrogs during the next few weeks.

Treefrog Tadpole Rescue

This has been a year of flood and drought at Blue Jay Barrens.  There have been several heavy rain events that dropped inches of water in a short amount of time.  Each rain was then followed by several weeks of dry weather.  Temporary pools have been appearing and disappearing all summer.  A two inch rain in mid-August produced an eight inch deep pool in the dry pond bottom.  Gray Treefrogs took advantage of this event to fill the pool with eggs.  

This week, a small puddle was all that remained of that pool.  During the last few days, hundreds of young treefrogs managed to reach the four legged stage and migrate from the pool to the surrounding vegetation.  This photo shows the puddle with just one day of life left.  The following day, the area went dry.

Because the original breeding event spanned more than a week, the young from the later eggs were not developed enough to leave the water.  Without intervention, they would all perish.

By the time I arrived with net and bucket, the mass of tadpole bodies seemed greater than the water they were in.  I like to make the classic rescue just as the clock ticks down to its final second.  When the shrinking pool crowds the tadpoles together nose-to-tail, it’s easy to herd them all into a waiting net.

The first of many nets full make it into the bucket.  A few aquatic insects and snails managed to sneak in with the tadpoles.

An expanding sediment cloud marks the release of a bucket full of tadpoles into the water garden.  Further releases were made into any tub I had that contained enough water to sustain tadpole life.

Many of the tadpoles were at the four leg stage and needed only a few more days of aquatic life.

Two days following the rescue, I found many young frogs making the transition to a terrestrial life style.  Most still displayed a remnant of their tail.

It has been many years since the Gray Treefrogs have had such a successful breeding season.  During the past six weeks, I have encountered one or two young frogs every day.  I’m glad I was able to assist in adding several hundred more frogs to this year’s output.

Water Garden Predators

The Blue Jay Barrens Water Garden will be celebrating its 15 year anniversary this summer.  On August 4, 2000 I installed a liner into the completed excavation and diverted runoff from downspouts in the front of the house to the leak proof pool area.  Two days later, a light rain put an inch of water in the bottom of the pool, and that night, treefrogs deposited several egg clusters.  Since then life in the pool has been in a state of constant change.  Each year is a new experience with new players, both plant and animal, finding a place in this tiny pool.  Most conspicuous in the pool these last few years has been a growing number of predators that feed on the masses of small animals attracted to a permanent body of water.

All plants in the Water Garden are native to this area, with the exception of the Water Lilies.  I’ve had a desire for a pool of Water Lilies for most of my conscious life, so I bought some tubers, planted them in weighted tubs and put them into the Water Garden.  After a couple of years, the Water Lily root mass grew so large that it floated the pots to the surface.  My thought was to transplant the tubers into larger pots with heavier weights, but when I hauled the plants out of the water I found that the lily roots had completely enveloped the pots.  I settled for adding more weight by strapping bricks around the outside of the root mass.  This worked for a couple more years, then up came the root masses with all of my bricks neatly hidden inside.  At that point I decided to just leave the lilies alone.  Now the root masses rise to the surface each summer with the growth of new roots and then sink again in the fall as the roots die back.  Islands created by the root masses are becoming populated with a variety of aquatic plants that don’t mind a winter long emersion.

In last few days there has been a mass emergence of damselflies from the pool.  The shed skin of the aquatic nympth is left behind by the newly emerged adult form.

Both the aquatic and adult forms of damselfly are predators.  Adults capture and consume small flying insects, while the aquatic nymphs feed on insects, tadpoles, fish, worms and anything else small enough to be captured and held.

Adults seem to emerge most often under the cover of darkness.  In the morning, newly emerged individuals can be found resting on stable structures near the water.  It takes a while for the wings and exoskeleton to harden, and for the full coloration of the adult to develop.

Unlike most other damselflies, Spreadwing Damselflies hold their wings slightly apart.  These damselflies are slightly larger than the average.

This is one of the Bluet Damselflies.  This is a small, delicate Damselfly that is quite common here at Blue Jay Barrens.

Male and female bluets join in tandem for mating and egg laying.  This pair is insuring a supply of Damselflies will be around next year.

Aquatic plants growing in pots set on a shallow shelf at the edge of the Water Garden have long since escaped confinement and found their own anchorage.  A tangle of rush stalks and other dead vegetation give a foundation for an assortment of water loving vegetation.  Some were planted when the Water Garden was first filled, but most have arrived by more natural means.

The thick vegetation may be a place of safety for some, but it also harbors a healthy population of predators.  These young spiders have just recently emerged from heir silken egg sack.

Most of these will fall to larger predators or relocate far distant from here, but several will stay and grow to adulthood in the lush vegetation of the Water Garden.

Red-spotted Newts are the top of the line submerged predator.  They can detect the slightest movement and will investigate any creature their own size or smaller.  If they can fit it in their mouths, they will eat it.  I don’t believe you can stuff a newt so full that it would stop trying to eat more.  Males like this one are continually cruising the pool looking for food and for breeding opportunities.

Female newts typically remain more hidden, but they are still alert for anything that may be food.

When newly hatched, salamander larvae are heavily preyed upon by the newts.  As the salamanders  grow, they become a predator as efficient as the newt.  The difference between the two is that the salamander only spends a portion of its life in the pool.  It will soon mature into a land dwelling form and take off for a more terrestrial lifestyle.

Bullfrogs are probably the most aggressive above water predators in the Water Garden.  As long as he can avoid the notice of Minks, Raccoons and Herons, this guy should have no problems.  Anything smaller than this guy’s mouth is in danger of being eaten.  Bullfrogs are typically just temporary visitors and after a few weeks will move on to new hunting grounds.  If it ever rains here again, this frog will probably move on.

Adult Green Frogs have a chance of competing against a large Bullfrog, but those that have just recently transformed from the tadpole stage are just Bullfrog food.  This young frog has just lost the last of its tail stub and is watching for a flying insect to come within grabbing distance.

Gray Treefrogs have a tough time competing in a permanent pool.  Predators make quick work of the newly hatched tadpoles and the adult frogs are in danger of becoming a Bullfrog meal.

Northern Water Snakes will also make a meal of tadpoles and frogs.  There are at least two mature water snakes now living in the Water Garden.  They arrived here as youngsters several years ago and have been growing steadily since.

I’ve resigned myself to the fact that the Water Garden has become a home for top level predators.  That is why I’ve initiated other projects to provide temporary pools to those aquatic creatures that cannot deal with a high predator load.  I’ll just keep enjoying the Water Garden and see what comes next.

Treefrogs

A half inch of rain at Blue Jay Barrens had the frogs Dancing for Joy.

Actually, that Cope’s Gray Treefrog was swimming and doing more of a water ballet than a dance.  It soon hauled itself out of the water.  This species of frog is primarily terrestrial and only enters open water when it’s time to lay eggs.  It was my approach that caused it to jump into the pool.

You would think this frog was watching for food, but it was really interested in something else.

High above the artificial pool, treefrogs were using the barn wall as a calling platform.

Male treefrogs claim territories near their chosen breeding pool.  From there, they produce their call in an attempt to attract a mate.  They’ll breed through the summer and are most active right after a rain.

When the available breeding pool is small, such as a 100 gallon watering trough, choice calling territories are limited and the males become crowded together.  This is an ideal opportunity to view the range of colors and patterns produced by this species.

In an attempt to defend their chosen territories, males will chase off any interlopers.  Despite their suction cup toes, a chase across a vertical wall is often less than graceful.

If chasing doesn’t work, the two males will join in combat.  A series of squeaks and grunts generally identifies the site of a scuffle.  These two combatants seem to have had enough of my interference.  I decided to turn out my light and give them some privacy.

A Camera Critters submission.

Rain and Frogs

Several light showers passed through the area yesterday, giving Blue Jay Barrens a total of half an inch of rain.  Not a drought buster, but enough to wash the dust from the leaves and cause the plants to perk up.  There wasn’t enough runoff to fill the Water Garden, but fresh water was added to all of the pools.

The rain was enough to coax freshly transformed froglets from the pools.  At this time of year, it’s Gray Treefrogs that are found emerging from pools, tubs and buckets around the homestead.

This guy left the pool and headed right up the brick wall of the house.  It didn’t make much sense to start a terrestrial existence because of a rainfall and then head for the driest place around.

All of the little frog parts are present, but there’s still a bit of tail hanging on.

This Bullfrog is a major hazard to all small frogs.  Bullfrogs will eat anything they can push into their mouths.  Their taking up residence in a small pool means the eventual elimination of all other frog species.  Many Bullfrogs have lost their homes because of the drought and are migrating to more permanent bodies of water.  It’s amazing how many have found their way to my Water Garden.

Gray Treefrog - May 22, 2008

There are many things that I have come to expect to be a common part of the natural cycle at Blue Jay Barrens. They appear each year and I greet them with the same wonder and excitement that I displayed on our first meeting. The Gray Treefrog is a perfect example of this. I rush out to greet them at their first spring call and see them daily up to the time cold weather finally sends them seeking a sheltered place to spend the winter. I feel sorry for people who lose interest in common things. Even the most common of species still has many secrets that we have not yet discovered. I plan to continue observing and enjoying everything that I’m lucky enough to encounter.

NOTE: I’m away on a ten day excursion and have left the computer behind. So as not to have a ten day gap in posts, I’ve selected some of my favorite pictures from my pre-blogging days and set them up to automatically post one each day until I return. They may not be the best photo quality, but each identifies something of significance to me and to Blue Jay Barrens. I’ll continue my practice of current posts on July 27, 2011.

Gargoyle Frog

Summer is the time of Cope’s Gray Treefrogs at Blue Jay Barrens. The treefrog is a master of camouflage and can blend well with most rock or tree bark. Though most of the skin can adjust its coloration, that small yellow-green patch beneath the eye always remains constant. Perhaps it’s some sort of species identification marking that allows the frog to identify others of its kind.

It’s interesting how local common names of animals develop based on people’s personal experiences. I would probably call this the Gargoyle Frog because of its habit of wedging itself beneath the house soffit and hanging its head over the edge of the brick wall. As you might guess, these treefrogs normally spend their days in the trees. Because these particular individuals use the water garden beside my house as a breeding area, they spend their days in various cracks and crevices about the house. This individual is demonstrating the most common daytime resting spot.

Although the frog appears to be watching in every direction, it doesn’t respond to any intrusions into its space. Insects wandering by don’t elicit any response and it seems oblivious to my presence only inches from its face. It won’t move unless I reach up and touch it. I’m careful not to bother them in that way.

The gap between soffit and brick narrows quickly toward the back of the brick. The frogs can squeeze in to fully conceal their bodies, but the gargoyle pose seems to be the most common resting position. Once a spot is chosen, the frogs will to return to that spot every day. They must be fairly safe from predators since their numbers atop the wall remain relatively constant.

I didn’t have these frogs around the house until I began providing suitable water sources in which they could breed. During most nights they hang around the windows catching insects attracted by the light. When it rains they move down and fill the water with eggs. Most days they are on Gargoyle duty. I would certainly miss them if they disappeared.