A Story of Tiny Tads becoming Tiny Frogs

At the end of the Calumet Bike Trail near the Indiana Dunes there is a service road that is often flooded in the spring and early summer as the bog creeps in.

During this period of flooding tiny frogs move in, lay eggs and miniature tad poles turn into more tiny frogs. The process takes as long as it needs to...the tadpoles take their time turning into frogs as long as the puddles don't dry up.

In years when the weather is hot and dry the tadpoles may turn to frogs within 2 weeks. In other, wetter years the tads take their time and could take a month or longer to become miniature frogs. Here's a photo album of this year's youngsters:

A tadpole on June 17th

In various stages of development on June 26 (compare the size of the frogs and tads to the newsprint and cell phone in the background)

 

Becoming a frog on June 26th

Tiny Frogs on July 1st