Category Archives: Learn about Frogs

04/27/16

The Bully of All Toads

Currently in Madagascar there is a bully. But, this is not your typical bully. This bully is the Asian toad, also known as Duttaphrynus melanostictus. The toads are threatening rare wildlife and frightening locals.

Madagascar provides a niche-like haven for these primarily lowland dwelling toads. Photo © Arthur Chapman Courtesy of Amphibians.org - Amphibian Survival Alliance.

Madagascar provides a niche-like haven for these primarily lowland dwelling toads. Photo © Arthur Chapman Courtesy of Amphibians.org – Amphibian Survival Alliance.

The theory on how they got to Madagascar is that they hitched a ride in some shipping containers from Asia between 2007 -2010. While Madagascar doesn’t have native toads, people who saw these bullies roaming knew something was wrong. And still no one knows why they have decided to make Madagascar their new home.

These toads are endangering locals, harming snakes, lemurs and exotic animals that are unique to the island. If they feed off these toads they will be poisoned, since these toads are known to be very poisonous. Smaller animals can shrink in size and as species, become extinct.

Asian Toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus) in Madagascar by Franco Andreone.

Asian Toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus) in Madagascar by Franco Andreone.

Scientists are still trying to come up with ideas on how to get rid of these toads and such measures wouldn’t be horribly expensive. It would cost about $2 million to $10 million (the effort would need only a wealthy backer from the West) — but that’s really just a guess. No one knows exactly where the toads are or precisely how many are in Madagascar. There’s no easy way to find them, and there’s no quick method of dispatching them, at least not in the numbers necessary for eradication.

And then there’s the fact that no one has tried to remove invasive toads on such a scale before. There have been three successful removal projects, but they were all in much smaller areas.

Asian Toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus) in Madagascar by Franco Andreone, close up

Asian Toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus) in Madagascar by Franco Andreone, close up.

So it looks like eradication won’t be possible, the scientists conclude, at least without a lot more research that would let managers and the government overcome many hurdles. And by that time, the toads will probably have become so numerous that, like in Australia, any such efforts would be impossible.

 
Leight-Ann BradyGuest post by Leigh-Ann Brady, who resides in NJ with her 8 year son. She is an artist and writer who is also concerned about the environment.

03/19/16

The Perfect Pond for You and the Environment

Garden’s say a lot about their owners. You can see a reflection of the owner’s personality in how their garden is presented. If you see a garden that is frequently maintained and full of life and colour it’s more likely that the owner is a keen gardener, or maybe just has the time to dedicate towards the garden’s maintenance. If you see a garden that is lost and overgrown, then a sense of organisation may spring to mind. The overall look of a garden can also determine the way people look at a house as a whole. The garden is a key element in the overall image and it’s vital to make sure your garden gives viewers the message you wish them to receive. There are so many ways in which you can make your garden stand out amongst the rest, and a perfect way is to add features that are different and exciting. Ponds are a traditional feature that have been around for years. Many people look at ponds and instantly say no to the idea simply because they think that they are more trouble than they’re worth. What people don’t realise is that ponds are actually very useful for pest management, wildlife sanctuaries and also just look great in your garden. They’re easy to maintain and cost efficient, too. There are many different types of ponds you can choose from to ensure you get the perfect pond for your garden.

garden pond lush green and beautiful

When deciding on the type of pond you wish to go for, think about whether you want your pond to be in ground, above ground or partly in ground. Your decision should depend entirely on your garden and what will suit it best. If you have children you may also wish to consider an above ground pond, as this eliminates the risk of anybody falling in or going for a quick swim with the fish. Having an above ground pond also enables you to create your own display, you can use coloured tiles to surround the pond bed and grow plants around the area. Alternatively, if you wanted to go for an in ground or partly in ground pond you can consider the way in which you wish to display this, consider how you wish to contain, surround and line the pond. You can always make the decision that suits your garden type. There is no specific choice when it comes to the details of your pond design, which is another reason why they are so great.

Once you’ve decided on the type of pond you wish to go for, how you will line and contain it, and determined the size of the area, this will determine the wildlife that appears. Ponds are vital when it comes to wildlife, and you can guarantee that your pond will become the centre of attention for beautiful creatures like dragonflies, house martens, ducklings, frogs and more. You could have a range of beautiful fish living in your pond, to add a little excitement but also to encourage other wildlife to visit. Ensuring you feed them and maintain the water, keeping fish is a perfect way to make the most out of your pond, plus they’re like extra pets that you can keep checking on and watch, as they grow in your own garden.

When it comes to the maintenance of the pond there is little you need to do. You must ensure you keep on top of the weeds and algae; you will find most animals living in the pond will use these for hiding so be extra careful when weeding or cleaning these plants. You can use a net to remove excessive, such as leaves, dirt and dead flies. Removing the dead flies will however be done for you by certain animals living in or around the pond. For example, dragonflies and house martens will spend their time swooping down and removing the flies from the ponds surface, along with frogs and toads that will clear the water surface of any tasty little flies they can get hold of.

By Nikolaj Potanin (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

By Nikolaj Potanin (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Finally, you can consider the overall presentation of your pond. The design of a pond is important for both appearance as well as wildlife. Designing your pond to suit your home is key. You can surround your pond with shrubbery and plants to create your own little sanctuary. Growing plants around the pond may also encourage animals to create a new habitat in the plants or water surrounding. Lighting is another great feature to consider, whether you opt for in-water lighting or lights to surround the pond, they will be a huge benefit to both your gardens aesthetic as well as the nature surrounding the pond. When fitting the lights, remember to use a weatherproof junction box to ensure that you have safe fittings and the lights are protected from any weather. Lighting will add a glamorous effect and highlight your new garden feature, making it stand out and look great. Why not add other little items such as gnomes, fairy figures or magical fantasy items. These are a little bit of fun but also add character and excitement to the pond and its surroundings.

Guest blog by Jasmine Smith.

 

Additional posts from Frogs Are Green on Ponds:

http://frogsaregreen.org/keeping-your-pond-alive/

http://frogsaregreen.org/attracting-newts-to-your-pond/

http://frogsaregreen.org/pond-maintenance-tips-for-keeping-wildlife-at-your-pond/

 

 

02/16/16

Caring For Stray Frogs in the Winter

Every winter, frog lovers around the world write to us about stray frogs that wander inside. Last week a man from Maryland wrote about finding a grey tree frog.

Dear Susan,
“I found a gray tree frog hopping around inside our gym here in Maryland. I guess he was drawn inside by the heat. Well, I took him home and have him in a fish tank with water, crickets and artificial leaves for shelter. I’ve got a heating pad that sticks to the back of the tank. I was wondering how cold I could keep my home and still have the frog be ok?” – Gianni

Gray tree frog (Hyla versicolor) by Robert A. Coggeshall on Wikipedia

Gray tree frog (Hyla versicolor) by Robert A. Coggeshall on Wikipedia

For those of you not familiar with grey tree frogs, here’s some information and to read more, a page on Wikipedia:

The gray tree frog (Hyla versicolor) is a species of small arboreal frog native to much of the eastern United States and southeastern Canada.[2]

As the scientific name implies, gray tree frogs are variable in color owing to their ability to camouflage themselves from gray to green, depending on the substrate where they are sitting. The degree of mottling varies.[3] They can change from nearly black to nearly white. They change color at a slower rate than a chameleon. The female does not croak and has a white throat; however, the male does croak and has a black/gray throat. The female is usually larger than the male.

The gray tree frog is capable of surviving freezing of their internal body fluids to temperatures as low as -8 °C.[9]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_tree_frog

 

When we find stray frogs who haven’t found a place to hibernate, it’s usually because we continue to build within the areas of their habitat, and they may get lost or confused. Going inside where the heat is on shows that this frog is trying to survive through the winter. It’s wonderful when people care enough to help them.

Rescued Grey Tree Frog in Winter

We’ve found a great site with tips on how to care for frogs and get them through the colder months, so they’ll be healthy and ready to go back outside come spring.

How to Take Care of a Pet Frog

 

Here are two of our previous posts that help explain what happens to frogs in the winter:

Winter is Coming: How Do Frogs Avoid Freezing

and

How Frogs and Toads Adapt To Winter’s Chill

 

01/10/16

Winners 2015 Kids Art Contest

We want to thank all of the students, parents and teachers that helped make this year’s contest so diverse! It’s always exciting to see artwork from as close as our own Jersey City and New York, and as far away as Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Latvia, China, and many other countries. We want to thank the judges and we applaud them in choosing from a field of exceptional artworks: Sam Skolnik-Mullane, Peter Thorpe, Rachel Rommel, Monique Sarfity, Mark Lerer, Caley Vickerman, Coyote Peterson, and Carmine Tabone.

All winners receive a custom certificate based on how you placed, so email us to receive yours.

And now for the winners… (wait for the page to load)

WINNERS by Age Group and Categories

Winners: Age Group – 3-6 years old

1st Place: Chan Yan Kiu Karstyn, 5 years old, Hong Kong, Arttra

2nd Place: Sophie Wang, 6 years old, Edison, NJ, USA

3rd Place: Kwan Sum Yu Rainie, 4 years old, Hong Kong, Arttra.

Honorable Mention: Sanjay Balaji, 6 years old, Sharron Art Center, NJ, USA

Honorable Mention: Vrishas Bolukonda, 4.6 years old, India
Caption:Help Me, Save Urselves; Think Green, Save Green

Honorable Mention: Soumya Sawant, 5 years old, Sharron Art Center, NJ USA

 

Winners: Age Group – 7-9 years old

1st Place: Kalisha Athaya Mahira, 7 years old, Indonesia

2nd Place: Worth Lodriga, 7 years old, The Phillipines

3rd Place: Stephanie Wang, 7 years old, New York, USA

Honorable Mention: Jennifer Tian, 9 years old, USA

Honorable Mention: Shristuti Srirapu, 9 years old, India
Caption: Give a helping hand to frogs

Honorable Mention: Angelina Wang, 8 years old, Edison, NJ, USA

 

Winners: Age Group – 10-12 years old

1st Place: Jonathan Qi, 12 years old, USA

2nd Place: Tanvi Gadre, 12 years old, India

3rd Place: Leon Ma, 10 years old, USA

Honorable Mention: Dhanvi Sayani, 10-12 years old, United Arab Emirates

Honorable Mention: Jason Kong, 10 Years Old, New York, USA

Honorable Mention: Emmi Lomakka, age 10, California, USA

 

Winners: Age Group 13-17 Years old

1st Place: Raisha Alifia Rahmani, 14 years old, Indonesia

2nd Place: Mohsen Abdalla 17 years old, USA, Jersey City Public Schools, Liberty High School, Art Instructor: Lisa Schwichtenberg

3rd Place: Nicole Padilla 17 years old, USA, NJ, Jersey City Public Schools, Liberty High School, Art Instructor Lisa Schwichtenberg

Honorable Mention: Jeanpierre Roa, 13-17 years, McNair Academic High School, Jersey City, Art Specialist-Scott Mallm

Honorable mention: Eanne Chiang, 14 years old, New Jersey, USA

Honorable Mention: Parth Vora, 13-17 years old, McNair Academic High School, Jersey City, Art Specialist-Scott Mallm

 

Best Environmental

1st Place: Mohsen Abdalla 17 years old, USA, Jersey City Public Schools, Liberty High School, Art Instructor: Lisa Schwichtenberg

2nd Place: Diego Manosalves 17 years old, USA, NJ, Jersey City Public Schools, Liberty High School, Art Instructor: Lisa Schwichtenberg

3rd Place: Kalisha Athaya Mahira, 7 years old, Malaysia

Honorable Mention: Jonathan Qi, 12 years old, USA

Honorable Mention: Nicole Padilla 17 years old, USA, NJ, Jersey City Public Schools, Liberty High School, Art Instructor Lisa Schwichtenberg

 

Best Black and White

1st Place: Lee Xin Yee, 11 years old, School: SJKC Sin Min A, Kedah, Malaysia

2nd Place: Zaniab Ali, 12 years old, Diana Gonzalez, Art Specialist MS#4, Jersey City, NJ

3rd Place: Darius Lim Wei Chen, 9 years old, Singapore

Honorable Mention: Parthi Jain, 7 years old, Bahrain

 

Best 3D Artwork

1st Place: Dhanvi Sayani, 10-12 years old, United Arab Emirates

2nd Place: Paula Nataniela Roba, 15 years old, “Proteus anguinus”

3rd Place: Seth Medina Assisted by Aida, Grade 8, PS#28, Art Teacher: Susan Ferro

Honorable Mention: Toms Laugalis, 11 years old, Latvia, “Tree frog”

 

Best Typographic

1st Place: Tanvi Gadre, 12 years old, India

2nd Place: Allie Kong, 8 years old, Sharron Art Center, NJ, USA

3rd Place: Ashley Ko, 7-9 years old

Honorable Mention: Manny Alvarez, 14 years old, M.S. #7, JC, NJ, USA

Honorable Mention: Nishi Patel, 12 years old, M.S. #7, Jersey City, NJ, USA, Art Teacher: Mrs. Jimenez

Honorable Mention: Lynn Sun, 7 years old, Edison, NJ, USA

 

Best Student / Elder Artwork Collaboration

1st Place: Arriana Rock, age 6 and Mallory Rock, age 31, Frederick, CO, USA

2nd Place: Vrishas Bolukonda (4.6 Yr) – Shalini (27 years old), A frog in the wild, India

3rd Place: Arriana Rock, age 6 and Brian Younger (Grandpa), age 65, Frederick, CO, USA

 

Best of Jersey City

1st Place: Mohsen Abdalla 17 years old, USA, Jersey City Public Schools, Liberty High School, Art Instructor: Lisa Schwichtenberg

2nd Place: Sylvie-Marlene Sobngwi, 13-17 years old, McNair Academic HS, JC, Art Specialist, Scott Mallm

3rd Place: Nicole Padilla 17 years old, USA, NJ, Jersey City Public Schools, Liberty High School, Art Instructor Lisa Schwichtenberg

Honorable Mention: Jeanpierre Roa, 13-17 years old, McNair Academic High School, Jersey City, Art Specialist,Scott Mallm

 

Best of Hong Kong

1st Place: Lau Wing Sum, 5 Years Old, School of Creativity, Hong Kong, China

2nd Place: Law Hui Laam, 5 Years Old, School of Creativity, Hong Kong, China

3rd Place: Lau Wing Kei Angel, 9 years old, Hong Kong, China

Honorable Mention: Ng Tsz Ying, 5 Years Old, Chong Hok Tong Education Center, Hong Kong, China

Honorable Mention: Bridget Liu,5 Years Old, School of Creativity, Hong Kong, China

12/17/15

How To Teach Your Kids About Climate Change

 
Teaching your kids about climate change is no easy task. A lot of parents avoid talking about it with their kids because they have no idea how to bring it up. Climate change is also scary, even for adults, so great care needs to be taken when explaining things to your little ones.

By U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

By U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons


 

It’s important that they still get a realistic overview and that you are honest with your children. However, you want to spark their interest in climate change, rather than scare them. They need to know about the problems climate change causes, but you must also find a way of explaining the solutions. They need to feel like they can make a difference.
 

Our kids and future generations need to be taught about how they can make a difference, and just how crucial their actions will be. Obviously, the depth and complexity of your conversation will depend on the age of your child. As they get older you can discuss the more complex scientific aspects of climate change, but when they are young, you just want to gently make them aware.
 

There are plenty of interesting ways you can ignite your children’s interest in climate change. Learning about the challenges the world faces doesn’t have to be too serious or boring. Here are some fantastic ways of teaching your kids about climate change.
 
Make climate change fun with educational games, apps and websites
 

There are many different tools and resources that have been created specifically for kids who are interested in the environment. Climate change is easily incorporated into lots of great games for kids.
 

There are entire websites specifically dedicated to teaching kids about climate change, and even some apps that touch on the subject. For example, NASA’s Climate Kids, Tiki The Penguin and The Young People’s Trust for the environment. There are even Apple and Android apps that help teach kids about climate change, such as Painting with Time and Offset.
 

Show them climate change videos made for kids
 
A quick search on YouTube will provide you with plenty of videos about the environment for kids. For example, this ‘global warming for kids’ video. Videos like this explain climate change in a way that kids can easily digest and process, and they are also fun to watch. Watch the videos with your kids and then let them ask questions afterwards.
 

Open their minds on family days out
 
You can subtly bring up the topic of climate change by going on educational days out. Take your kids to wildlife parks, on nature walks and to museums (such as The Natural History Museum). All these things will get them thinking about the environment and continue their education.
 

Let them explore climate by through being creative
 
Set your kids some fun tasks that are loosely related to climate change and the environment. Once they have had an introduction to climate change, get them to try and get their thoughts down on paper. They could write a poem about climate change, or try and paint their own interpretation of climate change. You could also come up with some fun climate change related games that you can play at home as a family.
 

Help them understand green living
 
Teaching your children how to live in an eco-friendly way will help enhance their knowledge of climate change. Make sure they know how to recycle and teach them to be aware of how much energy they are using. For example, switching lights off when they are not in use and not using more water than they need.
 

Let them develop a passion for nature
 
Your children may naturally become interested in climate change if they develop a passion for nature. If they fall in love with nature and enjoy spending time in the great outdoors then they are more likely to want to help protect our planet. Take your kids out walking, camping and get them involved in gardening.
 

Buy them books with underlying messages
 
If your child likes to read then buy them some climate change-related books. For young kids, the topic of climate change can be introduced gently through reading book with underlying messages. Older kids with an interest in the topic can go into much more depth. You can buy them books that teach them about how to protect the environment and that explain the science behind climate change.
 

The following is a guest post from Edward Woodward. A writer and a blogger at Kedel blog.

12/8/15

Foliage For Indoor Frogs

Frogs are one of the more common classroom pets because they are quite easy to care for and they look very cool. Growing frogs is a great way for science teachers to teach kids about metamorphosis because they can use the frog as example for this process. Frogs at first are tadpoles and then they turn into an adult frog. But there are a few things that you should know if you are thinking about raising a frog in a classroom or in other indoor spaces. One of the most important things being what type of foliage to use for the frogs as that can determine how the frogs feel in their classroom terrarium because plants provide the frogs with cover as well as help with the oxygen production in the vivarium. This foliage will be different based on what type of frog you have – an aquatic, semi-aquatic, terrestrial or arboreal (climbing or tree) frog.

frog_pic

Foliage for aquatic frogs
Because aquatic frogs tend to spend most of their life underwater these frogs will require to live in vivarium where there is a lot of water which means that you will have to have aquatic plants too, because regular land plants won’t be able to survive in the water or in a place where it is very moist and wet. Common plants that grow and feel well in aquatic environments are Anubias species plants, which are very durable aquatic plants; Pothos Plants and Philodendron that are long vine type plants that will nicely cover your aquatic terrariums wall; Cryptocoryne wendtii, which are tall plants with heavy foliage; as well as Anacharis plants that the frogs can use to hide among and other similar plants. But for classroom purposes you can also make a biotope aquatic tank meaning that you place all of the same plants that can be found in the natural habitat of the frog species that you have in your terrarium.
 

Foliage for semi-aquatic frogs
Semi-aquatic frogs are called that because they spend half of their time in the water and half on land and they need appropriate tanks with 50% of the tank being water but and the rest being land. This also means that in a vivarium for these types of frogs you can combine aquatic plants and also non-aquatic plants. Just keep in mind that these non-aquatic plants too should favor a moist environment and soil so don’t place plants that prefer dry conditions in a semi-aquatic tank. For the water portion of the terrarium you can again use the same aquatic plants that I mentioned previously, but for the land portion of the tank you can use plants like Bromeliads that will adapt to basically any environment, as well as Ferns that are high humidity plants and other plants that can stand humidity and their roots being constantly wet.
 

Foliage for arboreal (tree) frogs
Then there are so called arboreal or tree frogs that need a lot of climbing space meaning that their vivarium too needs to have taller plants with climbing potential. Great plants for frogs of this type are Philodendrons that grow really fast and in basically any conditions; Wandering Jews that also are quick growing plants; plants called “Golden Pothos” that is adaptable and an easy growing plant; Aglaonema genus plants that can reach up to 3 feet, as well as Marcgravia or Shingle Plant that has fat leaves and tends to climb on other surfaces; and a plant by the name of “Silver Skies” that also grows fast and has big leaves.
 

Foliage for terrestrial frogs
Lastly, there are quite a lot of frogs that are categorized as terrestrial or land frogs. For these types of frogs you can create a vivarium that is quite similar to one that I described for arboreal plants. However, in the terrestrial frog case they don’t need the height of the plants but rather they need bigger and longer spaces that are heavily clad with foliage because these frogs need places to hide and they are not able to climb the plants like tree frogs can. For terrestrial frog tanks you can use plants like Peperomia and Pilea plants, both are plants with many different species that are all good for terrariums, as well as Orchids because they don’t like wet places and other house plants or land plants.
 
One thing to keep in mind with terrariums and plants though is the light that they get because for any plant to grow they need light for photosynthesis to happen. The more light plants get the faster they grow, so make sure that in the classroom the frogs are placed in a spot where it gets natural lighting. An alternative of course, which in many cases might be even better than natural light, is to install t5 grow lights or any other similar artificial lights above your terrarium, because with these artificial lights the plants as well as the frogs will get the light and heat they need and you will be able to control the conditions in the terrarium so that they are just perfect for the species of frogs you have.
 

bio_photo

*** Guest post: My name is Ben Thorton and I am the owner and editor of T5fixtures.com. My passion is all things related to plants and plant growing and I consider myself an expert in this field, which is why I love to share my passion with others to help them be successful in gardening and plant growing too.