These frog eggs sacs presented a vivid image within a few dys of the mating. Shingy white eggs quivered, suspended in a light green jello. Less than one month later, dense algae has covered these once jelly-clear egg sacs. Pond scum’s weight has dragged the sacs to the pond’s bottom.
This is the point where I usually lose track of the frog eggs’ progress. The sacs and eggs sink and vanish. I wonder if any of those early eggs live.
This year I moved the two above photographed chorus peeper frog egg sacs out of their traditional spawning pond. These were the healthiest of some 30 sacs lain in early February, well ahead of typical frog schedules.
I put each sac in a 10 and a 25 gallon waterfilled flowerpot, each with snails and plants. The 25 gallon pot has minnows also. Now I could monitor the survival rates of these earliest-laid eggs.
I hadn’t seen either sac for a couple of weeks.
Today when I looked in the 10 gallon flowerpot, I saw the egg sac trembling like an algae bubble as the tadpoles struggled their way to freedom.
Conclusion: These early egg sacs are fecund even after falling to the pond bottom. The tadpoles have hatched no more that 33 days from the mating, with a survival rate well over 50%. This test verifies my opinion that the frog eggs hatched with a high survival rate.
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What have you noted in your area or travels? Any stealthy critters in your yard? Please post your observations and general location in your comments. I’ll check back later.
/s/ Redwoodman