It’s taken all of the energy that I have to keep the kids from playing in the puddles at the end of our drive and watch the tadpoles every day. They’ve definitely enjoyed seeing the tadpoles poke out from under the rocks in the driveway and dart from one edge of a puddle to another.
Unfortunately their first request to keep the tadpoles was turned down by their dad so of course they appealed to a higher court and I caved and said yes. (Letting them keep some tadpoles in a container outside seems safer than trying to keep them out of the driveway don’t you think?)
Our newest amphibian friends
So now it seems as though we raise cows, pigs, and frogs. Which is exciting because after six years of raising cows and pigs, I’m looking forward to raising some low maintenance creatures. (Before you ask, No. I will not be eating frog legs and neither will anyone else). Once the little buggers grow up, the kids have agreed to set them free in the garden where they will keep my peppers and tomatoes bug free.
That of course is on the assumption that even a quarter of the tadpoles make it to frogness. I believe it was Bebe who did a research report on frogs and learned that only about 10 percent of tadpoles grow into frogs. The others do not make it; which would explain why frogs often lay up to 10,000 eggs at at time (and you thought I had a big family! HA!) Already the kids are bummed because according to Bebe and Shorty (the keepers of the tadpoles), a few have died. It happens. Welcome to the Circle of Life.
As the summer goes on look for updates from me on Twitter about our little summer nature experiment and maybe a few pictures of the little froglets as they grow legs and shed their tales. I’m sure by next weekend I’ll be long over the newness of the tadpoles but hopefully the kids won’t. As of right now I doubt it because as daddy was backing out the driveway, Peanut stood in the yard and yelled at him for backing over and crushing the tadpoles in the puddles. Not too long after that, Peanut came into the house with a motionless tadpole on the end of his thumb. Apparently he finally “caught” one like Bebe and Shorty had.
Sigh.
It is going to be a long summer.
Since I’m not experienced in the ways of the tadpole… Have any of you raised tadpoles growing up? Do you have any advice for us as we try our hand at raising tadpoles?
