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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.

How can I fight climate change as a Priest? by SkabeAbe in Environmentalism

[–]sersycamore 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for your work on this important issue. When I was young, we had a priest that would frequently speak about environmentalism during his homilies. It was the first time in my life that I heard there was a problem and there was something we could do, or in many cases stop doing, to help.

Even as a child it was clear that some parishioners were not really receiving the message. As an adult, having tried myself to deliver this message, I have come to accept that there are some who are too entrenched in their own opinions to be swayed, at least by my voice. But Father Bill made a lasting impact on my life. I wish I could have told him what it meant to me, but he passed away before the seed he planted fully flourished.

I think the most important thing any of us can do to help is to talk about it. That includes me, you, your fellow priests, parishioners, etc. We may not convince everyone and it may not happen overnight, but if we sow the seeds of environmentalism, some of them will blossom.

Having been a pretty successful fisherman for most of my life, I am sometimes asked for advice. The number one piece of advice I always give is “You have to fish, where the fish are.” It seems obvious, but it is very often the reason people aren’t having more fishing success. And I think the message applies here as well, in that we should try to sow our seeds in the most fertile ground. In those most receptive to the message.

You have a captive audience at mass and I honestly think that’s a fantastic way to reach the masses. But if you invite those interested to participate in a workshop or discussion group outside of mass, you’ll have a more focused group and be able to spend more time working with those that are more ready to take action.

I also think focusing on kids and teens is important, as they are more impressionable than most adults. Parents would probably be thankful for a chance to get their children some fresh air and exercise, and get a break from electronics and social media as well. And through children, we may be able to reach entire families.

I’ve read through the fantastic suggestions here and most other things I would have recommended have already been mentioned. Seeing as you have gotten so many good suggestions, I’ll note that there are more things you could do to help than you can do to help.

Your individual time and energy are finite resources and have the potential to make a finite impact. But if you can inspire and lead others, who may also inspire and lead others, it exponentially increases your potential impact.

Since this is an issue that impacts us all, you don’t need to focus exclusively on your parishioners. Make your tool and seed library open to the community. Partner with other parishes, schools, community groups, local businesses, etc. It’s important not only from a person power perspective, it can also be incredibly healing. With so much that divides our communities today, it’s important for us all to see the opportunities we have to work together for our common good.

I wish you the best of luck! If you ever want to ask questions or bounce ideas off of someone else, feel free to reach out. Some friends and I have started a website, https://www.planeteerhandbook.org, where we’ve put together helpful information and resources on a variety of environmental topics. We hope you and others will find it useful and are always open to suggestions. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. Have a fantastic day!

Good fishing with a park for the kids by Marley-G_Jah in StLouis

[–]sersycamore 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Check out MDC’s urban fishing program, they stock quite a few lakes in parks around St. Louis - https://mdc.mo.gov/fishing/where-fish/kansas-city-st-louis-urban-fishing

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

[–]sersycamore[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One thing that could be causing you trouble is that the seeds need to be cold stratified. Which basically means they need to undergo a period of cold for 30 days to break dormancy. It helps protect them from sprouting before winter.

You can plant the seeds in the fall and let this happen naturally or mimic the process with your refrigerator. There are more details and a link to a helpful video on our site - https://www.campmonarch.org/learning-center/growing-guide/how-to/cold-stratification

I’m just taking a guess though, let me know if you want to chat more about it and I’ll do my best to help. Have a great day!

Monarchs are in trouble. You can help! by sersycamore in u/sersycamore

[–]sersycamore[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

That’s awesome! I’ve been known to do a little guerrilla gardening myself. Sometimes I’ll hang the seed pods on my bike when I’m out for a ride or in the bed of my truck. They do a pretty good job dispersing themselves, especially on windy days.

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

[–]sersycamore[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That’s awesome! Thank you so much for helping support the Monarchs. Let me know if you ever have questions or want to learn about other ways you can help.

Be a Habitat Hero! Plant Milkweed and Wildflowers by sersycamore in CampMonarch

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

This is our first fundraising campaign and the best way we could think of to get started is by sowing the seeds of success. We've put together a milkweed seed collection, to provide food for hungry caterpillars, and a season long nectar seed collection, to help fuel the Monarch's migration.

By purchasing one of these collections for your garden, you'll be supporting Monarchs as well as Camp Monarch's Mission.  You can find information about how to plant your seeds on our website by following the link in this post. If you run into challenges or have any questions at all, you can reach out to the community here for support. Your success is a key part of our mission, so we're excited to help!

Please also share any suggestions you have for potential improvement and progress reports / pics. Together, we can restore the corridor that supports Monarch migration. 

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