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Index of Subjects Hi Donna and All, Your experience with a pond only three years old sounds like the magic of habitat. Or a variant of "If you build it they will come." Nothing beats being in the right place at the right time. With regard to acidity of your mom's pond, Gypsum would increase dissolved Calcium but would not raise the pH. Hydrated lime would act rapidly but could have toxic effects from localized high pH (a squirt of that will blind). Agricultural limestone at about 5 tons per acre would be safe, and effective if well scattered, but best monitored because the particles might become smothered under leaves. The coarse limestone sold for gardening is of doubtful value but will last for many generations. The solubility of Calcium Carbonate decreases rapidly with increase in pH so each particle generates an environment in which CaCO3 is insoluble. I have usually found Salamanders by accident; rotten logs, under bark or cavities in wood. How long does the swarming in ponds last ? Dave W. Kentville On 4/22/2019 12:11 AM, Donna Crossland wrote: > Tonight a chorus of spring peepers penetrates the walls and windows of > our house. They beckoned me outside, and over to the 'salamander > pond' I went. There were spring peepers on blades of grass some > distance from the pond and I soon found myself stepping very carefully > in the misty, balmy 16 C night. The little frogs were everywhere! We > had dug a pond specifically with amphibians in mind in 2016 (with > gradual sloping banks, shallow depths, and a varied bottom with > occasional rocks). It's working well! Last week there were wood > frogs, with only occasional spring peepers. Tonight the peepers are > deafening and wood frogs are only occasional backup singers. I > remember the peepers being this loud at home when I was small, but > they are no longer in the loud choruses they once were on the South > Mountain of Kings County. The acid rain is still having an impact. > I've thought of dropping a piece of gypsum in Mom's pond to sweeten > the water. (Would that help, I wonder? I should measure the pH and > give it a try, but haven't gotten around to that yet.) > > Our pond was a busy spot tonight, with a lot of 'amplexus taking > place'. My neighbour's pond, just meters away from our own, is much > older and well-established, so I visited both ponds and compared. The > frog population seemed similar in both ponds but the water has not yet > cleared in our new one. I hope our pond supports enough food to raise > the tadpoles successfully. Meanwhile, my ear drums nearly vibrated out > of my skull. I put up my hood to shut out some of the noise. (Could > prolonged exposure to an extremely loud spring peeper chorus cause > loss of high pitched hearing? Did this ever happen to anyone? Swamp > dwellers are deaf? Maybe this is the reason why salamanders don't > hear!! What is the decibel threshold for hearing damage-it seems that > peepers might surpass it. Could I lose ability to hear Blackburnians > and other high pitchers from this activity? I don't think those are > common herptile questions, but I'd love to have some answers.) > > Other life in the pond seems to be missing this evening. Other years, > I've seen yellow spotted salamanders moving about the bottom and > occasional red spotted newts. I thought the salamander migration must > have already taken place, but perhaps not. I looked more sharply on > the way back to the house. There in my back yard was a yellow spotted > salamander, frozen motionless, but pointed in the direction of the > pond. I took some photos. Then thought perhaps he/she was held > motionless under the fairly strong lighting of the back yard light. I > stepped inside the back door and turned the light off. I'll give it a > minute to move in the darkness, I thought to myself, and decided to > scan through some of my frog shots on the camera before stepping back > out to see if I could get an action video of that salamander. It must > have traveled in great haste. It was nowhere to be seen, though it > should have been easy to re-find on the mown lawn. It had apparently > already walked the ~ 15 m to the tall grass closer to the pond. > > I searched for other salamanders but didn't find any. I wonder if > there is a time of night when they travel the most? One thing is for > certain, the salamanders should have had plenty of snacks along their > migration. There were 1000s of earthworms in the yard, all slipping > back into their holes as I walked along. Some of them were also > taking advantage of the warm moist evening to 'swap genetics'. Busy > night! I returned to the back door to find 2 spring peepers glued to > the wall beside the door and one on the glass door. Very cool. > > It's suppose to rain for a few more nights. This is great fun. Maybe > others will have similar experiences. On the South Mountain, some > ponds still had ice in them today. I suspect the salamander migration > may be in earlier stages there. Wood frogs may still have 'a chance > at the mic' before they get drowned out by the peepers! > > Donna Crossland > > Herpin' in Tupperville > > > > > --- > This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. > https://www.avast.com/antivirus
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