Water Life

On this hot, humid morning I took a slow stroll through Inniswood Metro Garden--much too hot for a brisk walk! Summer has turned the corner toward fall...the cicadas are singing (actually they started early this year, well before the 4th of July, but now they're in full voice), the bees and horseflies are buzzing, and many of the woodland critters are looking for some relief from the heat. Last time I was here the water in the frog pond was very high, with dozens of tadpoles zipping around and the bullfrogs singing. Today the pond has shrunk and the water plants have taken over...although, as you can see, the frogs are still around. Proof that they can be very hard to see: I didn't even notice this frog while I was snapping this photo! Imagine my surprise when I opened it on my desktop and there he was, staring at me with his beady amphibian eye.

The frog pond here has beautiful lotuses. This one was a good three feet above the water, even taller than the lotus leaves that all turn with the sun, like sunflowers.

The water is very attractive to insects, also. I saw an amazing assortment of dragon- and damselflies. The most striking was an iridescent blue damselfly with velvety black wings, but that one was quicker than my camera. This guy spent several minutes landing on this leaf, taking off, then circling right back to the same leaf. Another of the same type was doing the same thing a few leaves away.

The pond in the Children's Garden was by far the best for critter hunting. We aren't the only ones looking for a way to keep cool! Standing on the footbridge, I noticed something wrapped around the branches of a small black willow on the edge on the pond...a piece of cloth? On closer inspection, it turned out to be a rather large snake, a black rat snake judging by its color and size. He looked very comfortable there in the shade.

Across the bridge there were a few lily pads in the middle of the pond, where another snake was chillin' in the water. Had he had an umbrella drink (and a hand to hold it!), he'd have looked very much like a human floating around the pool on an air mattress.

And more frogs, of course, including one moose-sized bullfrog waiting for something yummy to zip by. One of his friends was enjoying the small waterfall nearby. By the time I walked all around the pond with my camera I was wishing I could climb into the water myself. Hopefully this afternoon's thunderstorms will bring some relief from the sultry weather.