"Frog Habitat" Pond. Your ideas would be great!

[JBtheExplorer]

When the ground thaws I plan on putting a mini-pond in my dad's yard. The point of it is to hopefully attract some frogs, since we have a nice Green and Leopard frog population nearby. Also, I'm thinking of buying live tadpoles from a bait shop since it might be easier to keep them around.

Below is an image I created of what I plan on doing.

(1.) The surface of the pond and small area of ground around it will be lowered about 4", surrounded by landscaping timbers.
(2.) 2 layers of landscaping timbers will surround about 2 1/2 of the 4 sides to help give frogs extra feeling of security (i realize this will make it harder for them to find).
(3.) A foot or more of woodchips or rocks will help separate that area from the grass, making it safer for frogs while cutting grass.
(4.) A small shallow pool of water will drain into the pond, creating more surface water, theoretically making it more appealing to frogs, though I'm not to worried about the lack of surface water, since they seem to like my neighbors ditch which has almost no water in it.


What I'd like to know from you guys, are the best types of plants I can add in or around the pond that can help attract frogs to the area, and more importantly keep them around. Specifically plants easy to find at any home & garden store. I also hear duck weed is a good plant to cover the surface.

I'd really like to know anything else you guys can tell me, or any ideas you have about what I can do to make it more attractive to frogs. Keep in mind that I already own everything in that photo, and my budget for this project pretty much only includes the cost of a few plants and fish, but any ideas you have that i can do for free or very, very cheap would be nice.

 

[sissy]

gosh you want frogs i just want to get rid of them .Way to many here and clog my filters and my pond with there tadpoles

 

[JBtheExplorer]

gosh you want frogs i just want to get rid of them .Way to many here and clog my filters and my pond with there tadpoles

Sounds like heaven to me! Haha.

 

[addy1]

Frogs like fishless ponds to breed in, or ponds with just minnows. They like plants near the edges to provide coverage and bugs to eat. Floating plants, logs to hang onto in the water, also sloped sides so they can get out of the pond.

I never see any laying eggs in my big pond, just the small ponds with minnows or fishless ponds.

They do not appear to be plant specific, but do like the coverage they provide. Also flat rocks, logs to sun on off and on.

The tads like submerged plants to hang onto while growing.

 

[j.w]

My frogs like to sit in my pot of dwarf cat tails and also like to cling to the Anacharis plants floating free. Parrots Feather is a nice plant that can float or you can tuck it in between rocks or put it in pots of soil or 100% clay kitty litter. My frogs like to sit on the pads of the water lilies but my frogs aren't very big and big frogs would prolly just sink if they tried to sit on the pads. This is all in my bath tub pond and like addy I never see any frog eggs in my big pond. Haven't seen any in the tub pond yet either but hoping for some now as 2 of them were riding piggy back the other day in the water :luxlove: Is the new frog pond going to be in full sun or ?





I had a small flat floating board in there for them to sun themselves

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Is the new frog pond going to be in full sun or ?

Thanks for a few ideas!
I'm pretty sure the area will be mostly shaded, but I'm sure it'll get a fair amount of sun after 3pm in summer.

 

[adavisus]

A place to shelter from the worst heat of day, also a place where the littl'uns can hibernate safely through Winter is the first thoughts

On plants, grasses which caterpillars like to eat, would add add some to the buffet

Regards, andy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21940871@N06/
http://swglist.wordpress.com/

 

[Waterbug]

IMO the bark mulch would not be attractive to frogs as say grass. Don't think it would be a barrier, but not a plus. Treated bark even less appealing.

IMO the raised sides would not be attractive to frogs. Harder to get in an out, easier for predators to approach the pond without being seen. Somehow I doubt frogs think that much, but maybe something that unnatural would be off putting.

IMO PT wood may not be attractive to frogs. I don't know how sensitive they'd be it to, but why take the chance. To me a more natural depression type pond would be a safer bet.

The bigger you can make the pond, or habitat, more attractive it would be. Shoreline is more important to frogs than the pond. The pond is where they escape to. Shore, shallows, is where they eat, breed and basically live. So maybe a 2' wide shallow area around the edge?

Deep is important for overwintering. I'd say a minimum of 3' for Wisconsin. At least some of the pond. Let the pond freeze over in the winter, don't try to keep the surface open. That only makes the water cooler. Don't clean the pond in fall, or really ever.

IMO the key to attracting and keeping frogs is food. Plants = insects = frog food. This includes plants around the pond. Any kind of bug spray would be a problem. We'd be talking about lot's of mosquitoes. Other bugs too, but prime mosquito habitat. Algae in the pond would be good for growing pond insects most of which become flying insects

You can feed wild frogs by hand. Long bamboo fishing pole. Use sewing thread instead of fishing line. Tie the thread around the leg of a cricket or around a mealworm, earthworm or whatever and dangle it in front of the frog. They go nuts for them as long as you don't get too close. The insect doesn't have to be alive. You have to keep the line kind of tight so they can pull the bug off the thread. If they do shallow it and the thread just cut the thread close to their mouth and let nature handle the rest.

For plants I'd stay out of the nursery and head for the nearest wetlands instead and collect different plants. If possible I would also fill the pond with water from a local wetlands or pond so you jump start the food chain. But they also need food to so add a bunch of dead plants from the wetland too.

I've seen more frogs in full sun ponds than I've ever seen in shade. For example our creek in the woods I can't remember ever seeing any frogs there although there were lots of bugs. I don't know why.

 

[fishin4cars]

FYI, If that is a bedroom window, frog pond might not be the best idea right there, Be prepared, Once in breeding season frogs get rather loud. I had my last pond close to the bedroom, OMG it was loud. Can't tell you how many times I would have to get up and remove frogs from the windows or close to it just so I could get some sleep. I love hearing a frog orchestra, but never again will I put one right next to my bedroom.

 

[callingcolleen1]

I love frogs but sadly I don't have any. I tried many years ago and they did stay the summer but lots got cut up in the grass! Then I got rid of the grass around the pond and have round cement pavers to walk on and one year it was hot and I found a frog stuck and cooked to the cement paver! No more for me, they can live two Blocks over at the creek in the tall grass that never gets cut!

 

[JBtheExplorer]

So maybe a 2' wide shallow area around the edge?
Deep is important for overwintering. I'd say a minimum of 3' for Wisconsin.

Yeah, that's not possible. The pond is what it is, a preformed shell. Worst comes to worst I can bring them to a pond in Fall thats about a 5 minute walk away. Like I said, I have what I have. I wish I had money for this project but that just isn't the case, so I'm using creativeness.

 

[Waterbug]

If it is what it is then that's that.