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Last Updated: 7/2/10
Animal Pond Pictures:
For more general information on these photos, see my pond pictures page index.
Photos are arranged in the order of most recent to oldest.
On 4/24/10, my father found a gray tree frog on the pool cover which he was removing. It is
probably a male as they had just started calling. I put him in a plant pot and took these
photos.
Gray tree frog - top view.
Gray tree frog - hopping away, note
the
yellow under the back legs which is indicative of gray tree frogs.
Gray tree frog - top view.
Gray tree frog - my mother trying to
hold
him upside down to show the yellow on the legs. It is cute how he has his little hand on her
finger, trying to grasp and get away. Do not worry. We did not hurt him, and I put him up on a
tree right after the photos to go on his way.
Female bullfrog in my pond on 4/11/10.
On 3/21/10, my huge female bullfrog and a male green frog were sitting next to each other in
the 1800 gallon pond's overflow. They were still brownish because it was cold.
Two frogs - green frog on the left,
bullfrog on the right.
Green frog - close-up from last
photo.
Bullfrog - close-up from two photos
before.
Bullfrog
The wood frog tadpoles starting getting legs and leaving in June. Here is a photo of one baby
that has all four legs but still has a tail. They were sitting on the lily pads as they were preparing
for their new terrestrial life.
Baby wood frog
On 5/25/09, I got two adult Eastern newts that I put in my 153 gallon pond. Something was
seriously wrong with one of them. I do not know if it was emaciated, dehydrated, infested with
parasites, or perhaps had some disease. The other one was fine, and I saw him a few days later.
Time will tell if I see that one again. I doubt the sick one survived but it was alive in the photos
(hard to believe). They packed the newts in dry fibers with no water source!
Sick newt
Healthy newt
Both newts
On 3/13/09, I took these two photos of the wood frog eggs which had been laid about two days
before:
Wood frog eggs in the water
Wood frog eggs lifted out of the
water
These photos were taken of the frogs on 3/8/09:
Male wood frog
Two male wood frogs
Male wood frog
Female green frog
This darling male green frog was sitting at the edge of my 153 gallon pond on 9/3/08.
Male green frog
There was a gray tree frog on the side of our pool on 6/14/08:
Gray tree frog
Gray tree frog - view looking down
on his head
On 4/13/08, while working on my pond, I saw this cute green frog hiding in the overflow area of
my 1800 gallon pond and took his photo.
Green frog
From the 153 gallon pond cleaning on 4/1/08.
Huge male bullfrog sitting in a cat
litter bucket while I clean the pond. He fills up the entire bucket!
On 3/16/08, a male wood frog was calling in my 20 gallon tub pond.
Wood frog and the pond
Close-up of the wood frog - from a
separate photo. I also got a video with two of his quacks which you can see at my frog videos page.
Pickerel frog in my 1800 gallon
pond
on 9/23/07.
Two pickerel frogs in my 1800
gallon pond on 9/23/07. The frog on the right is the same one as the last photo.
Here is a photo of a gray tree frog on the bricks of our house on 9/3/07.
Gray tree frog
On 8/4/07, my brother found this toad in the road. I think it might be a common toad (mostly
because of the size and reddish color) versus the ironically more common American toad. I am
not sure of the sex because it has male features but is fat like a female. What do you think about
the species and sex of the toad?
Toad - side/top view
Toad - top view
These photos are from the 3/29/07 cleaning of the 153 gallon
pond:
Wood frog eggs in one of the
former cat litter bucket. The photo is not very clear.
Wood frog - the wood frog hopped
into the pond after it was completely empty (before vacuuming) so I took photos and then moved
her to the 50 gallon tub pond so I would not harm her.
Wood frog - view of the frog from a
distance (the photo above is a close-up of this one).
Wood frog
Wood frog
Wood frog eggs back in the 153
gallon pond. You can see tiny air bubbles on them from the well water's gases coming out in
solution. The cleaning made about a 50% water change but it still causes this problem.
Wood frog eggs close-up of the next
photo showing the little tadpoles. You can see their little heads
Wood frog eggs
Two crane flies and a green frog tadpole sitting
in my little bucket after I found them.
Two crane flies, a green frog tadpole, and a baby
rosy red minnow in the bucket.
Two crane flies, a green frog tadpole, and a baby
rosy red minnow in the bucket.
Green frog tadpole waiting in a kiddie
pool.
On 3/25/07, I cleaned out the 50 gallon tub pond which had two batches of wood frog eggs and a
small green frog in it. Go here for details. Here are the
photos relevant to frogs from that day:
Two batches of wood frog eggs in the
bucket
Baby green frog after I put him
back
Cleaned pond - the new fountain, two
batches of wood frog eggs, and can you see the green frog on the right?
Close up of wood frog eggs - once the
pond was back together.
On 2/24/07, I took these photos in the 1800 gallon pond of a pickerel frog that was moving
around in the melting pond.
Pond - melted deep end. There is a pickerel
frog moving on the bottom in the middle of the photo.
Pickerel frog - close up of the frog
from the previous photo.
Pickerel frog - a different close
up.
On 10/19/06, I found a pickerel frog on my 1800 gallon net (not that uncommon) but this time I got the camera (not so common). Here you can see the pickerel frog on the net from a distance, zoom in of the pickerel frog on the net, and the pickerel frog close- up once I had him in a net. He put his hands over his eyes (he was shy I guess). He was tired after trying to bounce away from me but I put him under the net and into the pond after this photo.
Male green frog in my 153 gallon
pond on 8/6/06.
Young green frog sitting by my 153
gallon pond on 8/6/06.
Green frog tadpoles in my Tricker pond on 6/8/06.
From my 3/30/06 cleaning of the 153 gallon pond:
Wood frogs waiting in the bucket.
Green frogs waiting in the
bucket.
Female wood frog sitting on
land.
Male wood frog in the water.
Wood frog eggs - view of the
entire bucket of wood frog eggs I set aside from the 20 gallon pond and then spread around into
the 20, 50, and 153 gallon ponds.
Wood frog eggs - view closer
in.
Wood frog eggs - close-up of a
few eggs so you can see the tadpole's heads.
Jon sent this lovely photo of a young (newly adult) gray tree frog on 12/08/05:
Gray tree frog
Here are two photos of a gray tree frog (female I think) that I found sitting by my pond on
10/2/05. Her back left leg was mostly gone (just blood and some bone). I do not know if she
survived.
Gray tree frog - 10/2/05, clear
photo.
Gray tree frog - 10/2/05, a bit
blurry.
Female green frog in my Tricker pond on 8/13/05. She is with salvinia and floating leaf flower.
On 6/19/05, I pulled a poor male bullfrog out of my submerged plant protector. I do not know how long he was down there but he suffered from it (lack of atmospheric oxygen) and took on the classic dark colors common during hibernation. You can see a top view and bottom view of him as I held him. He was pretty limp and weak.
Wood frog eggs in the 153 gallon
pond on 4/5/05, the day before they started to hatch.
Wood frog eggs being held in a
bucket on 3/25/05.
Male wood frog in 50 gallon lotus
tub
on 3/25/05.
Male bullfrog on my floating terrestrial
plant holder, under the net,
on 8/9/04.
Green frog eggs in my 50 gallon lotus tub
pond on 5/29/04.
Female green frog by my 153 gallon
pond on 5/21/04, same as next
frog; she looks fat beyond being egg-laden; maybe she ate too many cicadas!
Female green frog by my 153 gallon
pond on 5/21/04.
Female green frog in my 50 gallon
lotus tub pond on 5/13/04. Just
her head sticks out of the water.
Male American toad out in the grass,
4/18/04.
Male American toad in the 153 gallon pond,
4/18/04, not the same
male as the last photo as both were out and photos taken at the same time. He had been calling
but no females ever showed up (or at least, no eggs laid).
Female green frog in my 153 gallon
pond, 4/18/04.
Baby pickerel frog from a distance by
the back pond on 8/17/03.
Baby pickerel frog close-up by the
back pond on 8/17/03.
Bullfrog sitting in the 1800 gallon
pond waterfall on 8/16/03.
Froglet is a newly morphed one-inch
green frog with all feet and still
a tail in the 153 gallon pond on 8/8/03.
Froglet is another view of the same
froglet as above, same time,
same
place.
Green frog tadpoles and snails in the
kiddie pool during the 153 gallon pond cleaning on 4/2/03.
Wood frog eggs in cleaned 50 gallon tub
pond, protected from
predators, close-up, 3/28/03.
Wood frog eggs in 50 gallon lotus tub pond,
from a distance, 3/28/03.
Wood frog eggs in dirty 50 gallon lotus
tub as laid, 3/23/03.
Wood frog eggs in a yellow bucket,
3/23/03.
Female wood frog in 153 gallon
pond, 3/23/03; the eggs are
hers.
Female green frog on the sandstone
bridge of the 153 gallon pond on
9/21/02. Great photo!
Frog love shows the above female
green frog on the bridge and a
male's head down in the water. I boxed the two frogs so you can find them easily. He is among
hair algae and hornwort. (Since all adult green frogs in this pond vanished by spring 2003, this
poor couple met an untimely fate soon after that I will never know :-( which saddens me.)
Bullfrog head closeup, huge male, in
the shallows of 1800 gallon
pond on 7/5/02. He is saying to you, "I will eat you!" (This guy was back spring 2003!)
Bullfrog from a distance to show
relative size, male, in 1800 gallon
pond, 7/5/02.
Bullfrog entire body closeup of huge
male, 1800 gallon pond,
7/5/02.
Green frog eggs in the 20 gallon lotus tub
pond with lots of duckweed
on 6/22/02.
Gray tree frog wedged in the pool deck,
male, 6/9/02. The head is
marked.
Green frogs waiting in a black Lerio
pot while I cleaned out the 153
gallon pond on 3/29/02. There were 13 green frogs in there but you can only see six heads.
Green frog tadpoles waiting in a
kiddie pool on 3/29/02 while I
cleaned out the 153 gallon pond.
Pickerel frog at the edge of the 1800
gallon pond on 3/9/02. This is
just
a baby. Some goldfish can be seen behind the frog.
Green frog tadpole in the 153 gallon
pond on 7/4/01. This tadpole is
over a year old and nearing metamorphosis.
Green frogs having a meeting around my
153 gallon pond on
6/3/01.
Pickerel frog in my 1800 gallon pond on
4/22/01.
Toad tadpoles in my 153 gallon pond on
4/22/01, one week after
hatching.
Male green frog by my 153 gallon
pond on 9/4/01 (should be
9/4/00?).
Pair of green frogs on waterfall, early July
2000.
Female American toad at door, 6/21/00.
Female green frog at the edge of my
pond, July 1998.
Green frog on lily pad, 5/16/98.
Green frog and toad tadpoles, arrow
pointing to frog, 4/12/98.
Toads mating, first to show up at new pond, left arrow is toads, right arrow is their eggs strung all over the pots, water was still clear because pond was new, 5/22/97 (note 4/2/02, I do not know why I said that since my ponds are crystal clear most of the time; I guess it was because the pond was very green for the first summer and spring.).
In my newsletters, you can read stories about our raccoons. One
young one started hanging around during the day for a week in late August to September, 2004.
Here are some photos of that raccoon:
1. Raccoon up a tree - 8/31/04.
2. Raccoon up a tree - looking really
scared, 8/31/04.
3. Raccoon in the marginals of my pond -
seems to be saying "I didn't
do it!" (referring to my 14" goldfish Jack I had just found dead.) - 9/1/04.
4. Raccoon in the pond overflow -
9/1/04.
5. Raccoon running from the pond -
9/1/04.
Baby opossum eating dog food on the back
porch on 12/5/03.
Newborn fawn in the woods on 5/26/03.
Fawns by my 1800 gallon pond on 7/18/02.
One, on the left, is partially hidden. The twin white-tailed deer can also be seen in this
photo by our Chinese chestnut tree.
Raccoon on 10/12/01 on our back porch,
enjoying dinner, facing the
camera.
Raccoon on 10/12/01 on our back porch,
same as above but view of
the side of his head.
Great blue heron in the front yard on
5/16/10.
Great blue heron - close-up from the last
photo.
I took more photos and videos of the heron on 12/9/07. It was dawn so I am sorry that the photos
are pretty dark. He was no longer really scared of me so I got some outside photos. The videos
are not great quality (they look better if you make them smaller).
Heron - sitting on the 1800 gallon pond, taken
through the glass
Heron - walking away from the 153 gallon
pond
Heron - close-up of the previous photo
Heron - standing on the edge of the 1800 gallon
pond net; photo taken outside
Heron - close-up of the previous photo; note his
bedraggled appearance
Heron - 2047 KB, mpg movie - standing by the 153 gallon
pond until I open the door and get him to fly off
Heron - 1696 KB, mpg movie - him slowly walking over to
the 153 gallon pond
Heron - 1209 KB, mpg movie - sitting on my 1800 gallon
pond net
I took a bunch of photos and two videos of a great blue heron on 11/27/07. The ponds were
netted and safe. The heron returned on 12/5/07 when we got 4 inches of snow. I was at work but
my parents said he was walking around my ponds all day. I normally have the nets off before it
snows but had yet to do that (too many leaves all around) so the fish were safe.
Heron - with the fake heron closer to the
camera, on the north side of my 1800 gallon pond, 11/27/07
Heron - by my 153 gallon pond on 11/27/07
Heron - close-up of the heron from the last
photo
I also got two short videos of the heron, mostly flying away! He was very skittish so whenever
he saw me, he flew off. I wanted to get video of him slowly walking.
Heron - 771 KB, mpg movie. This video starts with the
heron already in flight.
Heron - 1207 KB, mpg movie. This video starts with him on
the ground by my 153 gallon pond. I started this video after taking the photo above. I then
knocked on the window to get him to fly off.
My father took this photo of a great blue heron that had been hanging around my just netted 1800
gallon pond on 10/5/07:
Heron - most of the photo view for perspective;
you can see inside the house and the netted pond
Heron - zoom in just on the heron
Heron footprints by my 1800 gallon pond on
2/27/05.
Adult great blue heron by the 153 gallon pond,
photo facing north, 11/8/04.
Adult great blue heron by the 153 gallon pond,
heron facing the camera, 11/8/04.
Adult great blue heron close-up, 11/8/04. Sorry
that light seems to be hitting his face (my father took the photo while I was at work.).
Great Blue Heron in the back yard on
3/19/04.
10-day-old chickadees in the nest box next to the
pond on 5/22/03.
Vultures near the pond on 1/6/02. On the ground
are two turkey vultures. On the swing is a black vulture. The 153 gallon pond is to the left of the
picture.
There are also closeups here of the turkey vulture
and black vulture at that time.
Four baby tufted titmice in the nest box next
to the pond on 6/3/01.
They left the nest the next day.
Juvenile great blue heron on my roof overlooking
the pond on 10/15/00. For his/her "story," go to this site.
Twelve-spotted skimmer - Libellula pulchella on 5/16/10, sitting on the sandstone bridge across my 153 gallon pond.
This aquatic beetle larvae of unknown species was stuck in the filter material from my 153 gallon
pond filter on 11/15/09. He was bent over backwards and biting at the filter material that was
holding his rear down.
Beetle larvae
Dragonfly nymph found during the 153 gallon cleaning on 4/1/09.
From the 153 gallon pond cleaning on 4/1/08:
Crane fly larvae in my hand.
Dragonfly nymph waiting in one of the
kiddie pools.
From the 153 gallon pond cleaning on 3/29/07:
Two crane flies and a green frog tadpole sitting
in my little bucket after I found them.
Two crane flies, a green frog tadpole, and a baby
rosy red minnow in the bucket.
Two crane flies, a green frog tadpole, and a baby
rosy red minnow in the bucket.
Mayfly in my 1800 gallon pond on
3/25/07.
Mayfly - the original photo from which the
above photo was cropped to give you a sense of scale. I made an area to point to the tiny
mayfly.
Dragonfly - this dragonfly has just
come out of its empty exoskeleton which is also in the photo. I think it is some sort of darner
but am not sure because it is kind of plain. This was taken 8/31/06.
Dragonfly - similar to the last photo,
8/31/06.
Dragonfly - similar to the last photo,
8/31/06.
Here is a photo of an empty exoskeleton of a dragonfly after it has left. They crawl out of the water at that time. Judi sent this photo on 7/4/06 for identification.
Water strider close-up, in the fish-waiting
bucket on 3/30/06.
Caterpillar that I found in the bottom of
my 1800 gallon pond on 2/13/05.
Damselfly in the basement near my
indoor 20 gallon tub pond on 1/1/05.
On 5/29/04, I found three dead dragonflies and photographed them:
All three dragonflies - the order of them left
to right is below in the close-ups
Male twelve-spotted skimmer -
Libellula pulchella; he was sucked dry, probably by a spider (the other two were
intact)
Male blue dasher - Pachydiplax
longipennis, with a live cicada
Female twelve-spotted skimmer -
Libellula pulchella, with a live cicada
Cranefly larvae from my 153 gallon pond on
3/29/04.
Adult cranefly on the house on 6/10/03. The larvae are big and live in
ponds (see previous photo taken the following year).
Dragonfly nymphs - photo sent to me by someone else in May
2003.
Tiger swallowtail butterfly on a
butterfly bush next to the 1800
gallon pond on 9/21/02.
Dragonfly by the 1800 gallon pond on 7/7/02. My dragonfly book
helped me identify her as a female common whitetail, Libellula lydia which is
similar to the female 12-spotted skimmer, Libellula pulchella except this girl has
diagonal white dashes along the abdomen making her the common whitetail. See a photo of a
female 12-spotted above for comparison.
Damselfly by the 153 gallon pond on 7/7/02. The digital camera
cannot focus on something so small so the photo is fuzzy. I cannot identify it since the picture is
not very good. But, it does show the shape of a damselfly.
Dragonfly that just left the water at the top with its wings still folded
around it, its former larval exoskeleton at the bottom, by my 1800 gallon pond waterfall on
98/01.
Dragonfly resting at my 1800 gallon pond on 7/18/00. It is probably a
blue dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis).
Fishing spider - these big spiders hang out in my pond, taken 7/12/09. I believe it is Dolomedes triton.
Orb weaver spider resting on its web between my tall marginal pond plants on 9/29/01.
I got a dozen adult trapdoor snails on 4/7/10. One female had given birth to 13 babies in transit
which is common.
Adult trapdoor snails and babies
8 adult trapdoor snails
I got six clams on 4/7/10 and took these photos.
Six clams in the laundry tub
Clam in my hand, top view
Clam in my hand, side view
Clams in basket
Clams in basket with lid on
Clam basket - showing opening left for the
bitterlings to get in and out
From the 3/31/10 cleaning of the 153 gallon pond:
Snail eggs on a two gallon Lerio
pot.
Snail eggs
Snail eggs
Black ramshorn snails in my hand;
a few of them before I put them back in to the pond.
On 4/1/08, I cleaned out my 153 gallon pond and took photos
of some snail eggs on my Lerio pots. They are probably ramshorn snail eggs (although there
were some pond snails and Melantho snails in the pond too. The eggs for all three species look
basically the same.)
Snail eggs on a one gallon Lerio pot.
Close up of snail eggs from the previous
photo.
Snail eggs on a two gallon pot.
Japanese trapdoor snail that I got on
5/23/07.
Japanese trapdoor snails that I got on
5/23/07.
Melantho snails that I got on 5/23/07.
Sorry, it is not in focus.
Empty trapdoor snail removed from my
1800 gallon pond on 2/13/05.
Trumpet snail on 12/28/02 in my 20 gallon tank. Sorry that the
photo is so fuzzy but the camera would not focus.
Trapdoor snail on 5/2/02. He is alive but out of the water and
closed up.
Black ramshorn snail on 5/2/02. Alive but out of the water.
Lots of snails on 5/2/02 including trapdoor adults and babies, black
ramshorns, Melantho (a type of pond snail?, looks like trumpet snails to me), and pond snails.
This was an order I received that day.
Ramshorn snails in my 20 gallon tank on
4/22/01; this species is not the one sold for ponds; it is very small; it also lives in my ponds.
Reptiles (turtles and snakes):
Head of 7-month-old snapping turtle on
the day of Snappy's release,
5/25/03. Notice the neat stripe behind his eyes, how small his eyes are, the fat folds on his legs
since he
was well fed, his sharp pointy claws, and the bumps on his neck. He was not a dull turtle!
7-month-old snapping turtle on the day of his
release, 5/25/03. Notice
the
nice VVVV's along his back shell. His shell was about 3.5 inches long, his head was 1" except
when
stretched out to 2", his tail was about 3" sticking out, so Snappy was 7-8" total when stretched
out all
the way.
Four-month-old common snapping turtle on
2/12/03. To see photos of
his setup, see Snappy's page. These first five photos are
all of Snappy (the name I gave him).
Hatchling common snapping turtle out of
water next to a ruler with his
tail tucked in, about two weeks old, 10/26/02.
Hatchling common snapping turtle in water
with his tail out, about one week old, 10/20/02.
Carapace of female Eastern painted turtle -
this is an above view of Molly on 4/20/02 (see the page on painted
turtles.).
Back left foot of female Eastern painted turtle
- this shows her back
foot which is missing a few toes and has mild fungus, 4/20/02.
Tail of female Eastern painted turtle - this
shows her tail which is one way to determine sex, 4/20/02. A male's tail is wider.
Front foot of female Eastern painted turtle -
this shows her front foot which also can be used to determine sex, 4/20/02. Males have longer
nails than Molly's.
Plastron of female Eastern painted turtle - this
shows her belly which is yet another way to determine sex, 4/20/02. Molly's plastron is pretty
flat. A male's would be
concave (be rounded inwards) to allow him to mount (sit on top of) a female for mating.
Dead garter snake on 8/2/01. This 21 inch
garter snake was killed
only moments before I found it on our road. Its fatal injury can be seen a few inches down its
body.
Underbelly of dead garter snake on 8/2/01.
This is the same snake as
above but a photo of its underneath.
To see a lot more turtle photos, go to my turtle page/index.
A leech in the bucket I was using when I cleaned out the 50 gallon tub pond on 3/25/07
Pond Pictures Index - visit all seven of my pond pictures pages!
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