Life in the ponds

A Hostage Frog?!

Winter pond

Steffe, we took your admonition to heart and didn't stay only by the fire yesterday, but wandered through the woods, oohing and aahing at the beauty of the snowfall which continued all day.  And as requested, took photos.

Our pond is a vernal pond that has lasted into the winter given heavy rains these past months, so this is an unusual sight for us to see it surrounded by snow-covered fallen trees (2011 saw a bonus crop of fallen trees all around us that started with last January's ice storm, became violent with an F1 tornado in May that devastated the Hermitage and Abbey woods, and ended with soggy ground that couldn't hold onto some trees this fall). 

Can't quite get this right....for Weekend Reflections

Hosta leaves reflecting in the pond as well as gray sky, summer froggy and the "we live here all year now" goldfish resting or swimming about, all this for Weekend Reflections.  Enlarge by clicking on the photo.

Problems photographing this scene I gaze at so often: too many planes to focus and too much light contrast between the pond open to the sky and that part of it shaded by the roof.  (For full disclosure I should use quotes around pond.  They began life as horse troughs......)

Froggies

Froggy went a courting? I don't know if that is what these two are up to but they were just sitting there this morning in the pond.  I was waiting to capture the birds but these two showed up and the birds didn't!  Do you know folk song, "Froggy went a courtin and he did ride, sword and pistol by his side,"?
Lots of versions around.   I am sure Burl Ives did it when I was a kid.  And now my favorite version is Bob Dylan's on a disk he made maybe ten years ago.  Just Dylan, his guitar and his harmonica!