Here they are:


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And that's what I found yesterday in my son's small pool:

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Nice. Drained it immediately.

Maria

Oh, noooooo! A plague of biblical proportions! Start stompin' and whackin' and dumping out tadpoles. Give those snakies a helpin' hand. They can't do it ALL! And this is way too many frogs for the freezer method. I say put on yer boots, grab that shovel and have at 'em.

Yeah, I know...a lot of people think that's awful. But some of those same folks wouldn't hesitate to whack a SNAKE with a shovel, and the snakes are the GOOD GUYS.

The first year I was in this house, the yard was FILLED with CTF's. By the second year, there weren't nearly as many, and so far this year, I've not seen ONE. Not a single one. I think I eradicated them. Of course, I'm always looking for a new one that might decide to move in. But then again, maybe the word's out that some crazy lady carrying a shovel is running to and fro in the back yard screaming, "DIE, COMMIE BASTAGES, DIE!!!"

Anyway you handle it, I wish you luck. They are wretched creatures!

Marcia

Here's a picture of one. My so-so camera could only get so close. I'm not sure; this one looks like a good guy, but I've seen both these and the one Maria posted.

When they're really small it's so hard to tell.

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Come to think of it (and from the photos I've seen on the web), I think these guys might actually be Squirrel Tree Frogs!

What do you think?

Hi all, they are so cute how could anyone harm them?

Regarding dumping the tadpoles, what if they are not CTFs? Maybe they are one of the native tree frogs. How do you ID tadpoles?

The other day I found a lot of tadpoles in a spot in a boat cover that had filled with rain water. I had to get the water off of the boat cover and I could not stand the thought of dumping the tiny tadpoles onto the dry parking lot so I bailed the water into a pail and dumped the pail into a low spot in the parking lot that is filled with rain water.

I must be a real softy on treefrogs and tadpoles.

Now what do I do?

Later, DC

For myself, I never kill them until I can tell what they are. And I only dump tadpoles when I've got a real good idea of what laid the eggs, like when I was first here, and the Cubans were everywhere. Now when I see tadpoles, I wait to see what happens. So far, something ELSE has gotten the few I spotted.

But DC is right that you need to be sure before you whack 'em. Or freeze 'em. It would be awful to find out you had killed squirrel tree frogs. However, I don't think you would be seeing those in the numbers you mention, so keep a close eye on what you've got. There is a surefire way to tell, but it involves holding them and checking a bony plate on their heads, or something like that. For myself, the first give away is the oversized suction pads on their feet. MUCH bigger than green treefrogs and squirrel treefrogs. Almost out of proportion. (Maybe those extra big toepads give them an edge on the regular guys?)

I guess the rule of thumb would have to be don't kill ANYTHING unless you know what it is and why it needs to go.

(Sorry DC...the CTF's are just too harmful to be allowed to stay in my yard. If I saw ONE eating a green treefrog, I would just go ballistic!)

Marcia

Marcia,

So what do you think I have? Are they CTFs or good-guys? I should just come over to your house and visit; your're right up the road from me!

Kathy

Those pictures you posted look like Cuban treefrogs to me.

Come on over! I'm getting ready to head to the local Home Depot on Lake Mary Blvd. How far from there are you? Wanna do lunch?

Marcia

I just realized the pics weren't yours, Kathy. If you want, I can take a look at the ones in your yard and help you identify them. Just let me know. I wish I'd seen your post earlier, as I really need to head on out, and I would have loved to meet you for a quick lunch. We will HAVE to do that soon!

Marcia

Marcia,

I'm at work right now (shhh...don't tell my boss) and I'm leaving town for a long weekend. I'll catch up with you next week.

The second photo with the little guy on the canna leaf is mine.

I think he might be a Squirrel Tree Frog because of the stripe, but I'm not sure.

Well, we have to get together one Saturday for lunch, then, Kathy. Email me at mmeara at cfl dot rr dot com and we'll arrange a play date. I'll gladly come look at your froggies up close, but I can't tell for sure on the canna leaf photo. His toepads don't look oversized in that photo, so maybe...just maybe...you have some GOOD GUYS in your yard, or a combination of good ones and bad ones. We'll have to inspect more closely so you can figure out a way to protect any good ones (squirrel treefrogs) and eliminate those Cubanos! (By any chance, are any of them bearded, dressed in old army fatigues, and smoking a cigar? That would be a helpful when trying to ID them!)

Marcia