Hi Mike: My pond never froze over either. I, too, had a solar pond cover on mine which the wind blew off because it never had a chance to freeze to the surface of the pond. I did a walk around this week and scared five to six frogs in my top pond. When I cleaned my settlement pond last fall I had to put over 100 taddies in a pail till I was done. I got so tired of removing them I left about a foot of silt in the bottom of the pond. I may end up moving out so the frogs can stay. lol My fish are up and begging for food, but I haven't fed them yet. There is lots of algae for them to graze on right now. Oh yes, and there are the things you hoped wouldn't live though the winter: like the darn pennywort I put in the pond last year that took over the whole surface. It's sprouting from under the rocks surrounding the pond. I think I'm sorry I ever put it in the pond. It took me 3-4 hours to clear the surface of the pond last fall. I had to cut through the stuff with a hacksaw blade. All my marginals are growing and need to be divided. My whole top pond is covered in duckweed. My lotus plant that I overwintered in the house (which I thought had died) is now sprouting since I moved it outside. I have got my work cut out for me though. I have to totally rebuild my top pond due to erosion. But it looks like Spring has spring. Ponders, start your pumps!!!!!!!!!!! Jenny

dick, frogs wriggle down into the mulm at the bottom of a pond, if there is mulm there!? They don't really dig themselves away down into it, to become completely covered over, as they breathe through their skin while hibernating. Depending on what type of frogs you have, depends on what method of hibernation they use. Leopard frogs will slip into folds in the liner or lie in between plant pots. Bullfrogs and Green frogs usually like to settle into the mulm/soil. Some people place shallow walled containers of soil at the bottom of their ponds for the frogs to settle into. The soil does not have to be deep, just and inch or so is plenty. I have placed a mat of quilt batting, weighed down by a couple of bricks and the frogs used that to winter into. Some folks don't bother to do anything at all and the frogs survive. Of course you can put pots of soil or mats of quilt batting down there, but that is not going to guarantee that the frogs will use it. Remember that whatever you put down there has to come out again in the spring and it will stink a bit, because of decaying plant matter and fish waste that goes into over winter. Take into consideration how your are going to pull the containers out again in the spring, should you opt to use that method. A couple of handles that you can hook onto will make it easier. The soil containers can be awkward and heavy to handle. That's why I use the batting, I just hook onto it and pull it out. There is a bit of a mess as the mulm and junk falls off the batting and clouds the water as I lift it out, but it soon clears up. "Horton"

Thanks the pictures are precious. I will miss them. They disappeared after the 1st cold front and now came back out. My dw told me a few months how they always ride to work with her. She now has to make a trip around the car to shoo them off. I am amazed at the number I have here in just a few months. There is one on almost every plant that is not in the sun. I can hear them singing at night. When I spray I have to do it while the sun is up and be careful and no pesticides. Maybe Santa will have me a macro capable camera this year. Keep those frog pictures coming. I may need a frog fix soon if it cools down much more. Jim

Bonnie, I have tree frogs too. They live in my hanging baskets and when I have had cold snaps, I have found them in a tupperware bowl I had forgotten that was half full of water. I did not realize it at the time, but they were keeping warm in the water. I have one of those tall rubbermaid 'sheds' that you would keep shovels and rakes in and always find them sleeping in there. so if your shed has the smallest opening for them, maybe they can keep warm in there. Have you seen those topsy turvy tomatoe hanging "plastic bags"? Last year, I had 2 families living in them. It was the greatest sight to see them 1 by 1 pop their little heads out looking for bugs at the porch light. Michelle