Flower garden observations: How did the frog get there? When I built my first 'pond' (water feature) it was a few days later and a frog was in the water. Puzzled by this new resident my wife and I tried to rationalize how it came to be there. The nearest permanent body of water is over a half a mile away. A monumental trek for a frog. Perhaps a crow dropped it before it had a chance to eat it. It was not until I dug the foundation of an addition to our house that the answer became obvious. Each morning until the foundation was above grade I would have to rescue, on the average, 10 frogs and toads. Their nocturnal exploits had landed them in an inescapable abyss 6 feet from the surface. The night is not as still as we might think. Daffodils Have you noticed that daffodils face in one general direction? Mine face west. It probably has to do with the sun. But still, it's the leaves and their ability to acquire nutrients that provide nourishment for the bulb. The flower is a propagation mechanism. The flower is not smart enough to realize the local bee hive is west of here......or is it? Naaaa...... Peony partners Do the ants know where the peony is or did they move when I moved the flower? Little black ones....ants....have snacked on the wax/nectar produced by the peony flowers for years. Then, when the shade began to dominate the peony location and the flower produced less, I moved the plant. Now 100 feet away from its old location similar(same?) ants still use the wax/nectar as a food source. Did the ants hear about it through the 'antvine'? Just wondering. Jerry
When we figure out why many garden events occur, much of the magic and wonder will be gone. We have a resident frog on the patio. Heaven knows where he came from since our pond is about two acres away and that's the biggest spot of water around! Our bees forage for three miles, finding every source of nectar and pollen. They send out scouts to find sources, who return and somehow communicate direction and distance. Our bobcat brings her kittens to the pond to drink, but only at dusk, and only after she has scouted the area. She does this nightly until the kittens are grown and on their own. Then we don't see her at all! I certainly have no answers for your observations, but enjoy thinking about them. Thanks for bringing them to our attention!
When I moved to this home about 6 years ago I brought along many containers of flowers. I had such a huge assortment at the other house that before we put the house up for sale, I filled the containers with plants that I wanted to bring with. After we got here I was checking my containers and there was a small tree toad on a plant....I had an abundance of them at the other house because of a woods in our backyard. No large trees in our area for quite a ways and I really think I brought this little tree toad with me from the woods. I do hope he likes his new home...at least the trees are larger now for him.
