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T. Knight | profile | all galleries >> Galleries >> Boyce Thompson Arboretum. A Tadpole Story in Photos tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Boyce Thompson Arboretum. A Tadpole Story in Photos

During the night of July 27, 2006 after the storm that dropped 2.13 inches of rain, the toads came out. They played and frolicked in the little playa between the cactus garden and the eucalyptus forest. And they laid eggs...
Toad eggs in the playa, July 28, 2006 Toad eggs Almost all the eggs were hatched when I checked them on Saturday Morning, July 29, 2006. Tadpoles mass feeding on the bottom of the little playa.
Tadpoles coming to the surface to breath air. Lots of hungry tadpoles eating Tadpoles stuffing themselves Mass feeding
Lots of hungry tadpoles eating! August 2, 2006. Little back legs are visible. August 5, a week after hatching the tadpoles are little tiny toads hopping around on land near the playa. Little tiny toad
Little toad on land. In the middle of the photo a couple tadpoles are visible swimming. A view half in the playa and half out.

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Lizzy 02-Aug-2008 03:18
What kind of Frogs are they?
farara 23-Sep-2007 04:38
I'm on because i'm doing a notebook for my class friend. She is leaving the school and she loves Frogs so i decided my class should do a notebook on frogs for her.


Anyway better get rolling~ Toddles!~
Philip Lowe 05-Sep-2006 15:59
I think Paul is right. These are probably red spotted toads. The young ones were everywhere at the BTA this weekend. It is good to see documentation of their development.
Cathi Kniola 22-Aug-2006 22:00
Great photography and visual "lesson." Love it. Thanks, Paul for sharing. Good shots, Tammy.
Cathi Kniola, Gold Canyon Ledger, BTA enthusiast
Kathy Hall at AJ News 22-Aug-2006 21:01
I love this - what a wonderful page to show kids - the transition from eggs to tadpoles to toads. Brings back memories, too. Paul at BTA passed this one to me. Thanks, Paul - and of course, Tammy.
Monica Webb 19-Aug-2006 23:55
Hey Tammy, Paul W. forwarded your web paid...what a treat! It gave me goose bumps to see the meamorphic process of so many little toadlets. Amazing what a little rain in Arizona can do. Thanks for sharing.
Catherine 18-Aug-2006 23:03
Hi Tammy,

Paul sent me a note about your photos - super! I have always loved anything to do with ponds and waterways. As a child I always had to catch the frogs and toads just to look at them up close, then let them go.

It makes me long to collect some tadpoles to watch them grow up and then be released.

Keep it up!!!
Guest 17-Aug-2006 20:55
Tammy,
Paul forwarded me your webpage. I am a herpetologist for the AZGFD and have recently joined the lizard walks on the weekend. You have some really nice photos of their life cycle, it is great that you were able to capture that. These are likely Couch's spadefoot toads (Scaphiopus couchii), based on the egg mass and the tadpoles. Spadefoot toad tadpoles are really goofy looking with eyes that are way on top of the head and very close to each other, more so than Bufo sp. tadpoles. It is hard to tell from the metamorphs but if you are still seeing them, a vertical pupil and the lack of a parotoid gland would be characteristics to look for in a Spadefoot. Otherwise, Red Spotted toads would be my guess but the egg mass and the tadpoles don't look right. If they are still around, I'd love to know what they look like now. Abi King
Mary Alice Daenzer 11-Aug-2006 15:47
Hi Tammy, Your interesting pictures reminded me of my childhood days playing with little toads in the backwaters of the Wisconsin River. Thank you!
Guest 08-Aug-2006 20:02
Tammy - Wow --- Paul W of the BTA shared...an avid lover of ALL in the great outdoors. I will send along as well. Keep up the good work. Pete J.
Carol O'Connor 08-Aug-2006 12:18
These are interesting photos. And it's beautiful to see life flourishing in the desert after such a long, dry, hot period!
Guest 08-Aug-2006 08:42

hi Tammy! Very cool! Probably red-spotted toads, but it is hard to tell with metamorphs (toadlets that still have tails). The habitat is right for red-spots. If you can mount a filter on your camera, you might consider a circular polarizing filter... it takes the glare off of water... and you can adjust it for just the right amount of glare too! (some glare gives the picture depth and a frame of reference for the water surface... too much glare obscures the critters underwater). best wishes, Andy
paul@BTA 08-Aug-2006 03:52
tammy -- thanks for continuing to post cool stuff on your gallery pages. i think these may be red spotted toads, but i'll have to check for myself. if they're still around this week (aug. 8-9) i'll let you know if i can tell the specie....cool page, tammy, i'll send it to some herper friends.
Guest 07-Aug-2006 22:44
These are very cool pics!!! When I was a kid we played with these every summer. Was called it a swamp not a Payala though.
I have been meaning to bring my Nikons underwater camera and take some shots at BTA. Need to buy some FILM! I think they still sell it. :-)
I'll have to show you how they have it set up for close up shots. It has a 35mm above water and a corrected 28mm lens for underwater. Focus is not the same when underwater.
Hope these toads where not in the lake when the pelican stopped to rest.
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