winterizing your habitat

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by EllenW

Yes dap please post frog pictures.

I'll have to look for some. Remind me again, if I don't post any in couple of days.

[EllenW]

I posted a request for help on the NWF certified wildlife habitat facebook page. Maybe they will help with overwintering frogs in zone 6.

[EllenW]

Originally Posted by EllenW

I posted a request for help on the NWF certified wildlife habitat facebook page. Maybe they will help with overwintering frogs in zone 6.

I did receive a reply. They provided this link which I found very helpful. I think I will slowly melt the ice if it starts to freeze over.

Robyn's Overwintering Amphibians Page

[Equilibrium]

I know that blogger!!! She's in Maryland!!! She's a zone 7b if anyone's interested!!!
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Oh and Dappy.... this is a reminder to post your frog friend photos!!!

[EllenW]

Well that's cool that you know her equil

[EllenW]

I did not expect to have to melt ice already! Now I know everything is working. Since I already had the heaters I decided to use them. I just plug them in until there is a hole in the ice. I don't want to wake up sleeping froggies. I have a beauty in the backyard.

[havalotta]

Apparently the neighbor forgot to shut off her water.
It must have froze the pipes and burst because when I was watering my plants inside,
I noticed a fountain outdoors shooting all the way UP TO HER ROOF!!!!!

Took me three four phone calls to locate her to tell her she might want to come home to shut things off.
Mean while....I took a walk over and found it was only a broken-POPPED hose. Thank goodness it wasn't her pipes!

[EllenW]

I finally received a reply from Maryland dnr regarding overwintering frogs. I haven't looked at the link they sent yet. This is pretty interesting.

Thank you for contacting the Maryland Department of Natural Resources with your question about frogs. Interestingly enough, many species of Maryland frogs have blood that act like an antifreeze. Frogs have special proteins called ‘nucleating proteins’ that allow the water in their blood to freeze first. At the same time the frog's liver starts making large amounts of glucose—a type of sugar—which packs into cells and props them up. The concentrated sugar solution helps prevent additional water from being pulled out of the frog's cells, which can destroy them. Therefore, the frogs are able to freeze and thaw throughout the winter without ice forming in their blood. Humans lack nucleating proteins, so we suffer from frostbite instead.

While the frogs will be okay for the winter months, there are other steps you may want to take to winterize your ponds. Drs. Foster and Smith have a nice article here: Winter Pond Health & Maintenance: Winterizing Your Pond In addition, by leaving leaf litter around the pond and by providing rocks or other areas for shelter, you can help out other species of wildlife which may utilize your pond.

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by EllenW

I finally received a reply from Maryland dnr regarding overwintering frogs...Interestingly enough, many species of Maryland frogs have blood that act like an antifreeze. Frogs have special proteins called ‘nucleating proteins’ that allow the water in their blood to freeze first. At the same time the frog's liver starts making large amounts of glucose—a type of sugar—which packs into cells and props them up. The concentrated sugar solution helps prevent additional water from being pulled out of the frog's cells, which can destroy them. Therefore, the frogs are able to freeze and thaw throughout the winter without ice forming in their blood. Humans lack nucleating proteins, so we suffer from frostbite instead...

Thanks for the info, Ellen. I appreciate it.

My only concern is that it says "many species" not all, however, I still think that the green frogs that inhabit my pond did overwinter last year.

I'm still looking for pics, Lib...after spending way too much time looking, I am taking a break and looking through the posts on WG.

[Equilibrium]

EW> The Maryland DNR sent you a commercial link to overwintering carp in a pond>>>>?
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Just remember all you people trying to overwinter frogs in your ponds.... you're gonna need an appropriate substrate so they don't float back up to the surface where they'll become "one" with the ice. They need to brumate below the freeze line where the water temperatures remain above 32F. A wood frog.... doesn't brumate... it hibernates... usually in leaf litter. That's the species the DNR was referring to. A wood frog is "designed" to handle the freezing of its blood and other tissues.... true frogs aren't "designed" the same way. They can't survive freezing solid like a goldfish or a wood frog.
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I just got a load of our weather report and we're gonna be dropping down into the single digits here real soon at night. There's snow in our forecast too. Today.... it's only supposed to be in the 30's so I'm thinking maybe I beter get offline and go outside while the gettin' is good. It rained a few times in the last coupla weeks and I need to drain my ponds again and I 'spose I better take in the last of the carrots and rutababas and the cabbage that's still out there too. Eeek.... so much to do.... so little time left!!!