Once the weeks-long freeze ended, the Pacific tree frogs came down out of the woods to our wet areas to call out to each other and breed. This has been going on every year since we moved here, and their nightly croaking is music to my ears.

But this is the first year I was moving slow enough to notice frog eggs. Sure, I’ve seen the tadpoles. I go looking for them. But this year I spotted eggs and, once that happened, I found them all over…including along the shoreline of the new pond.

These are the first residents at this fledgling pond, although they won’t live there long. Once the tadpoles morph into frogs, they will make their way back to the woods. And next winter, they will return to our wetlands to start the cycle all over again.

And now these eggs are morphing into teeny tiny tadpoles. I hope you can see that in the photo.

I’m 60 years old and only just figuring out something that has been going on around me almost my whole life. What else have I been missing out on? Whatever it is, I hope I discover it soon. Because I heart nature!

And that’s it for now.

Photo of Pacific tree frog on a glove was taken by a conservation district worker out here planting trees.