Will the Frogs Survive?
Come on a search for frog eggs. Get caught up in the suspense. What is happening to the pond?
Photo Credit: Frog
Frog Pond Tale Table of Contents
- Industrial Waste in the Frog Pond
- Industrial Waste in the Frog Pond Continued
- Industrial Waste in the Frog Pond Conclusion
- Frogs and Vernal Pools
- Are Frogs Becoming Extinct?
- Frog Unit Study
- What's a Vernal Pool?
- How long did it take for you to realize what was in the frog pond?
- Meet the Author of Industrial Waste in the Frog Pond
- Evelyn's Hands-on Learning Report
Industrial Waste in the Frog Pond
A Frog Pond Story
One day we were out looking for frog eggs in the early Vermont spring. We took a long walk in the woods and came to vernal pool but found a very strange sight. At the far end of the pond, with deep mud all around it was a large mass of white foamy looking stuff.
All we could think of was some sort of industrial waste. What could it be? We discussed it for quite a while. There are no industrial plants or any other kind of building in the area so this was obviously wrong but what could it be?
It was difficult to get there but burning with curiosity we finally made it over to the stuff...
Look for the answer towards the bottom of this lens.
- Frog Bubbles by Katie-O
- Art - community of artists and those devoted to art. Digital art, skin art, themes, wallpaper art, traditional art, photography, poetry / prose. Art prints.
Industrial Waste in the Frog Pond Continued
We were still puzzling about the strange foamy looking, slightly dirty, yellowish mound in the frog pond.
Could there be a large house or B&B just over the hill that is doing large loads of laundry. Is this why we don't see any frog eggs?
The mud was thick. Were the frogs still hibernating down in the bottom of the pond or had this pond been so polluted that they could no longer live there.
Keep reading to discover the mystery substance.
Industrial Waste in the Frog Pond Conclusion
Well it took determination to get there but we finally made it and you know what it was?
It was snow and ice that had started to melt. Leaves and other debris had leached their colors and given it an industrial waste look.
What a laugh we had that day and we never did find any frog eggs. Just too early in the spring I guess.
Frogs and Vernal Pools
Vernal Pools: Natural History and Conservation
Amazon Price: $23.07 (as of 11/11/2009) 
SciEd Ecology of Vernal Pools Poster
Poster, Ecology of Vernal Pools; Laminated; Images from Roger Tory Peterson Institute
Amazon Price: $21.95 (as of 11/11/2009)
Science and Conservation of Vernal Pools in Northeastern North America: Ecology and Conservation of Seasonal Wetlands in Northeastern North America
Amazon Price: $90.37 (as of 11/11/2009)
Frog Unit Study
All about frogs
Hundreds of frog related ideas, activities, games, songs and factual information about frogs:-
Frog Pattern Math
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When planning activities for your Frog Unit Study you might think that math would be an abstract subject that has nothing to do with frogs. In this lens we will explore ways to integrated math into your study of frogs and tadpoles. Mathematics is ba...
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Frog Art Center
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Art for your Frog Unit Study from how to draw frogs to painting, clay, sculptures, origami, frog cakes, Moche, Totem Poles and much much more... Children thrive with a hands-on. creative learning experiences that help them illustrate all that they a...
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The Frog Report
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Find out what is going on in the world of frogs? There are reports of frogs being arrested in Nevada and frogs that make so much noise that that home values are going down in the neighborhood. Maybe the most disturbing, however, are the reports of...
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Build a Classroom Frog Pond
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When you are trying to learn about frogs there is nothing that can beat having your own backyard frog pond. Teaching about frogs and pond life I found that daily trips to the frog pond offer opportunities for children to observe frogs in all their st...
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Frog Unit Study: Hopping to Learn
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Take trips to the frog pond, play games and sing songs, gobble up the insect words and swat the fly verbs. This lens will give you dozens of ideas, resources, hints and tricks to create frog-themed activities for both homeschool families and classro...
What's a Vernal Pool?
What's the relationship between frogs and vernal pools?
Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are temporary pools of water. They are usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe development of natal amphibian and insect species. Certain tropical fish lineages (such as killifishes) have adapted to this habitat specifically, however.
Most pools are dry for at least part of the year and fill with the winter rains or snow melt. Some pools may remain at least partially filled with water over the course of a year or more, but all vernal pools dry up periodically. This ensures the absence of fish, a chief characteristic of all pools.
They are called vernal pools because they are often, but not necessarily, at their peak depth in the spring ("vernal" meaning of, relating to, or occurring in the spring).
Despite being dry at times, once filled they teem with life. The most obvious inhabitants are various species of frogs and toads. Some salamanders also utilize vernal pools for reproduction, but the adults may visit the pool only briefly. Other notable inhabitants are daphnia and fairy shrimp, the latter often used as an indicator species to decisively define a vernal pool. Other indicator species, at least in New England, are the wood frog, the spadefoot toad, and four species of mole salamanders.
In some northern areas, tadpole shrimp are also common.
How long did it take for you to realize what was in the frog pond?
K_Linda wrote...
Another great informative lens. As a child, I loved to see the frog's eggs hatch into tadpoles and then develop into frogs. 5* and added to Vermont Lovers Group.
Posted June 01, 2009
enslavedbyfaeries wrote...
That story is too cute! What a relief to know the frogs pond isn't polluted after all.
Posted May 04, 2009
Meet the Author of Industrial Waste in the Frog Pond
A Frog Pond Tale
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Evelyn Saenz: Lensography of a Teacher
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My passion is teaching and finding ways to teach children in fun, hands-on, creative ways. The unit studies I make on Squidoo reflect my view that learning should be integrated and no skills should be taught in isolation. I believe that each topic s...
Evelyn's Hands-on Learning Report
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