The campus is rather quiet over the summer, and the Frost Garden's fountain is also taking a break. During this on hiatus, our recent high volume of rain has created an interesting artificial circumstance.
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| The fountain and its surroundings in the garden are clean and tidy. |
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| Upon closer inspection, we can see a unexpected hidden pool. The rainwater is tinted slightly yellow due to leaves and algae, which appear green due to the fountain's interior blue paint. Wait a minute, what's that? |
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| Something's swimming in there. A lot of somethings! |
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| There are literally hundreds of Anaxyrus tadpoles here. A few were observed (not shown in this photo) that already had spindly legs developed. The arboretum curator also rescued several adult toads responsible for this invasion. They could hop in to spawn, but got stuck and couldn't get out. |
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| These are some of the larger specimens. Removing any tadpoles from the fountain is a mercy, because while it provides an excellent nursery, they will have to leave to survive. There's no way for the baby toads to get out! |
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| The arboretum features a few locations where water tends to pool even when conditions are dry. The headwaters of the upper pond's stream are one such place, as a few gallons of shaded water are often present. |
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| This location is directly below Randle's, by the cypress tree, and offer a reasonable spot for a few buckets of tadpoles. |
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| The water is cloudy after being disturbed by our bucket of amphibians. Thankfully the animals weren't shocked by the change in water quality. They were still alive an hour later, and even on the following day! We can't be sure if these are American Toad, Southern Toad, or Fowler's Toad, as all three are native to Louisiana. Given the reported ranges, it's most likely Fowler's Toad (Anaxyrus fowleri). |
External links
Brad Glorioso's page on the American Toad
Brad Glorioso's page on Fowler's Toad
2018 US Department of Defense Fact Sheet on Fowler's Toad
Brad Glorioso's page on the Southern Toad
