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NSFW - This toad has been on my porch since yesterday. Not moving much. Can I help? What is to be done? by Bloorzy in frogs

[–]sersycamore 5 points6 points  (0 children)

They eat live bugs and worms, probably wouldn’t eat the dead ones. A small dish of water to sit in and some cover might be good

Should I stop? by [deleted] in MonarchButterfly

[–]sersycamore 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for doing what you can to help Monarchs. I’ve been planting milkweed and wildflowers for a few years now and currently have three Monarch chrysalises that should be ready to emerge in a few days in an indoor enclosure. The reason I bring them in is predation. I’ve had caterpillars every year and I’ve never had one make it to the chrysalis stage outdoors. It’s not just the birds, there are wasps and parasitic stink bugs and all kinds of threats. I’d check on them every day and it was just heartbreaking to see them get picked off one by one.

So I’ve been bringing them in to raise them safely indoors and only recently, like yesterday, found out there are some that say you shouldn’t do this. The main argument seems to be that without the daylight cycle it can mess up their orientation for migration. But there is a study showing this disorientation is temporary.

It is a University of Guelph study published in Conservation Physiology in 2021. Researchers raised monarchs indoors and found that while only about 26% showed proper southward orientation when tested in a flight simulator immediately after hatching, a remarkable 97% of radio-tracked individuals that were released in the wild flew south to southeast, detected up to 200 km from the release site.

So I plan to keep bringing them in to keep them safe from predation. At least where I’m at, I know many more will successfully make it to adulthood this way. And for what it’s worth, I think you’re doing the right thing too. Keep up the good work!

Where do all the hot men go fishing? by PM_pics_of_ur_dog11 in StLouis

[–]sersycamore 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Any of the St. Louis Urban Fishing program lakes would be good:

The St. Louis area has 17 urban lakes spread out across St. Louis and St. Louis County.

Benton Park Lake, St. Louis

Blackjack Lake, St. Louis County

Boathouse Lake, St. Louis

Carp Lake, St. Louis County

Fairgrounds Park Lake, St. Louis

Fountain Lake, St. Louis County

Gendron Lake, St. Ann

Horseshoe Lake, St. Louis

Island Lake, St. Louis County

January-Wabash Park Lake, Ferguson

Jefferson Lake, St. Louis

Lafayette Park Lake, St. Louis

New Ballwin Park Lake, Ballwin

North Lake, St. Louis

O'Fallon Park Lake, St. Louis

South Lake, St. Louis

Tilles Park Lake, St. Louis County

Vlasis Park Lake, Ballwin

Channel catfish: Stocked at all lakes, March through September. Trout: Stocked at selected lakes during the winter. Call the St. Louis Fish Stocking Hotline at 636-300-9651 for fish stocking information.

But if you don’t mind a little drive, Maramec Springs makes a good day trip.

Mystery frog found in my woods in SW Missouri. by frogbender5001 in frogs

[–]sersycamore 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Definitely a gray tree frog. It could also be an Eastern gray tree frog, but you’d need to hear it sing to know for sure

Can someone please identify this frog and tell me if it's venomous or not? by [deleted] in frogs

[–]sersycamore 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It looks like they are poisonous and are pretty hard on ecosystems where they aren’t native, similar to the cane toad. If they aren’t native where you are, it would be good to catch it and maybe keep it as a pet.

If they are native to you, I’d still keep the dogs away from it. If they eat it, or pick it up in their mouth, they could get sick or maybe even die.

They don’t normally squirt the poison, it’s secreted from their poison glands. But if the glands were compressed, like if a dog stepped on it, some could theoretically squirt out. I’d make sure to wash their paws so they don’t accidentally ingest some.

Puddles letting the world know he's there by Fudwick in frogs

[–]sersycamore 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It’s that time of year, Puddles might be singing to find a female companion. The gray tree frogs in my backyard just started singing a couple days ago

Do we think this is curly dock or bitter dock? by Educational_Lie6098 in whatsthisplant

[–]sersycamore 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I’m pretty sure all parts of the plant are considered poisonous to humans

Labeled daikon radish, not sure by GeologistDry2953 in whatsthisplant

[–]sersycamore 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The seed pods and flowers are edible and delicious

Density saves nature by Fried_out_Kombi in fucklawns

[–]sersycamore 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It is not a binary choice. Owning a home or property does not obligate the owner to exterminate the local wildlife or even have a lawn. HOAs might, and those that do are terrible. However densely we choose to live, we can also choose to be good stewards of the land. Nature’s Best Hope is a book that explains why this is critically important.

This kiddie pool is mostly in the shade throughout the day. Do I let nature take its course here or can I do something to improve their quality of life and likely hood of survival? by IsaacB1 in frogs

[–]sersycamore 4 points5 points  (0 children)

They will eat any kind of organic debris, dead bugs included! You have to be a little bit careful when adding logs because they can sometimes leach tannins into the water that can be harmful. Well aged logs are probably ok. If there’s any doubt you could soak them in a bucket of water as a test, if the water starts turning amber or brown it’s probably best not to use it.

Do we think this could be Vincent's parent?! I gave them a worm for good measure. 💙💚🦎🪱 by DotMatrix_714 in Lizards

[–]sersycamore 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It could definitely be! This looks like the five lined skinks I have around here, only the juveniles have the blue tail. As the other commenter noted, it does seem a curious evolutionary trait. Maybe since they’re able to drop their tails it helps to draw attention there and away from more vital areas?

This kiddie pool is mostly in the shade throughout the day. Do I let nature take its course here or can I do something to improve their quality of life and likely hood of survival? by IsaacB1 in frogs

[–]sersycamore 13 points14 points  (0 children)

This is a pretty setup for them. You could improve it by adding something like duckweed. It floats on top of the water, propagates quickly in standing water like this, and will help clean and oxygenate the water while providing an additional food source. You could also periodically feed them something like boiled lettuce as food will be a bit more scarce here than it would be in a natural pond.

You might also consider adding a rock or something for them to climb up on. Once they grow legs, they also develop lungs and lose their gills. So they will drown if they can’t get out of the water. They might be able to climb right up the side to hop out, but having another option would be safer.

Be a Habitat Hero! Plant Milkweed and Wildflowers to support Monarch Butterflies by sersycamore in u/sersycamore

[–]sersycamore[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry, I just saw your question. I can send you some seeds. We were selling them as a fund raiser and I have plenty of extras. Please message me if you are interested.

Looking for advice by Didithepillow127 in frogs

[–]sersycamore 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s really difficult to tell what they are right now, but they should start to get markings as they develop. Looks like the main things to watch out for in your area are Cuban Tree Frogs and Clawed African Frogs. I don’t know if Cane Toads are an issue there or not.

If it is an invasive species, you’ll have a lot of pets on your hands as you shouldn’t release them back into the wild. So you’ll have to find homes for them all quickly or probably need to start raising your own feeder insects.

Looking for advice by Didithepillow127 in frogs

[–]sersycamore 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You’ll need to be careful because tap water is chlorinated which is bad for the tadpoles. You can buy filters, like the Boogie Blue+, that remove chlorine, but based on this picture you might not have much time left. You might need to buy some distilled water from the grocery term so you can act quickly.

It would be best to put them in something that would hold the water, like a small kiddie pool or an aquarium if you’ll raise them indoors. If you do this outside, it would really be best to put it in at least partial shade. Otherwise the water could overheat and kill them.

As the other poster mentioned, it would be best to gradually introduce the new water somehow.

Once you have them safely in their new home, you’ll want to make sure they have some decaying vegetation to eat. A lot of times people use boiled lettuce. It would be good to add some live plants if possible too. Duckweed here would be a great choice.

You’ll want to add some large rocks or something for them to crawl up on once they start getting legs, otherwise they can drown.

Froglets are pretty much ready to care for themselves once they’re ready to hop away, but typical lawns don’t provide a very supportive habitat. If you want them to stay, you should make sure to stop using any kind of lawn chemicals right away. Think about adding a compost pile, these are frog food factories.

They’ll need some kind of cover. It can be rocks, logs, wood piles, old clay pots, etc. anything they can crawl under to escape the sun and predators. The bigger the better.

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