Freds, frogs, spinx caterpillar

The Freds   <= tracking data

My faithful readers have been enjoying the Freds. Bless your hearts, you make my day. Our first Fred (RIP) would disappear to her winter burrow in August. Last year Auntie Fred, went down for winter Sept. 12th. I saw her with leaves in her mouth, and the next day no sign. They'll arise in March, according to past history. 

Auntie has a burrow in the flag pole garden. She was out for hours munching nearby. 

You may giggle. I had a great photo last week. Both Freds were out, Auntie at the top X and MiniFred nearer the deck, at the second X. In some computer glitch it disappeared. 

The sun makes a pretty interesting photo on the trailcam!

Then there are two frogs in the goldfish pond. (Soon the fish will have to come in.) The second biggest frog has an issue with its eye. I wanted a closer look. It doesn't seem to be suffering, but I can't help. Those of us with cataracts can empathise. He seems to be able to eat.

Do you come here often?! 

Pandora Sphinx Moth Caterpillar

I've no photos of the adult. You can see one on Wiki. I was fascinated. It was in the front garden. 

A moth... 

Cinnamon and I went walkies to fetch trailcams. Caterpigly was walking across the driveway, towards Cinn! After I fetched the trailcam memory card, I walked back and it was still on the driveway. It was picked up and placed on the grass. 

 

The Dogwood plants have produced fruits...

or flowers. Rose of Sharon with one bloom. There are a couple more to come, but three have been chomped off my someone. Ah, nature.

Bright red berries which we must enjoy. Soon the trees will sleep for winter.

Bullfrog weigh-in – a challenge

Now, as a retired teacher, I love doing math problems. When I was tutoring young women in a home for single mothers in the fall, I had to go back over my high school math. Since our medical woes, I haven't had the time nor energy to do so. I quite enjoyed helping them with their schoolwork.

I loved teaching math. The discovery math, currently in vogue, has done nothing but harm our students. The recent EQAO test result seem to confirm this.

EQAO concerned about 'persistently low' test results in math, English

CTV News-Aug 27, 2014Share

TORONTO -- Ontario's education minister wants to examine how applied math and English are taught in the early high school years after ...

The brightest and the best of our students, with rich, stimulating backgrounds, have the ability to achieve in elementary school, where the foundation is laid. It's the rest of the kids who need to be taught times tables, and need didactic lessons in numeracy. This is the same for literacy. The kids whose parents have done a lot of pre-reading work and play with their kids do not need to be taught to read. They are thirsty for learning, especially if it is modelled. I taught too many special education students to think anything different. They're doing much harm to the high-risk students.

OK. Off my soapbox. Back to my personal challenge. I was incredibly curious about the weight of my two bullfrogs. They are quite happy in my hand-dug goldfish pond. Since Jeremiah moved in this month, I've realised how big Geraldine has become. She's quite used to me; I don't often catch her.

They eat leopard frogs, as well as the odd bug. You can see what likely amounts to leopard frog limbs sticking out of Jeremiah's belly giving him an odd look. It is a frog-eat-frog world!

I found out that Geraldine is about 460 gm (~16oz.) and Jeremiah is about 200gm, although it was tricky reading the scale! I laughed so hard, hubby watched, too.



Geraldine wasn't thrilled! I set up the camera with the video running. She did a cameo appearance for me. You have to laugh! She hopped over to the camera when we were done and glared!


frog weigh-in from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
How do you weigh a bullfrog? Carefully! She was 460gm (~16 oz.); he was 200gm.

Saturday's Critters #39

Jeremiah was a bullfrog

Geraldine and Jeremiah bullfrogs from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
Geraldine and Jeremiah bullfrog in my goldfish pond. With 3 dozen goldfish, they seem to eat the leopard frogs. He is a new addition. She's been hanging out in our pond for 2 years, leaving only in spring to go down to the frog pond, a vernal pool, to mate.