Froglets and Poision Ivy

One of the empty lots in our neighborhood holds a retention pond and with all the rain this spring, we have spent many lovely afternoons visiting the pond and looking at the water. About a month ago we noticed the pond was filled with tadpoles. Little black tadpoles by the thousand. We decided we should watch them develop and whenever we had a free afternoon we would go and see how the tadpoles were coming. They grew quickly into little froglets with long tails, and then the tails diminished. We decided we might take a few home to observe in our little bug viewer. Tristan,  very gently (and quickly) gathered seven tiny black frogs and a few weeds for us to take home. Over the next few days we observed them. Watching them climb the walls of the container and swim in the water and sit on the weed. We began throwing bugs in there with them. I put in a tiny spider, Jason, a millipede and Tristan put in a fly (as big as the frogs!). The frogs did not eat what we put in, and after about 3 days, I decided it was time we returned them to their home. Only four made it safely back to the retention pond. Unfortunately, we didn't realize when we gathered our frogs, the pond is also home to poison  ivy and Tristan is sensitive to it. He ended up with his first case of the irritating rash which he is managing like such a champ! He's been encouraged by all of the family who have experienced poison ivy themselves and we have made it a sort-of  "right of passage". Tristan is now officially a big kid explorer, a true north American adventurer. Well, needless to say, we have not been back to see the frogs since the outbreak of poison ivy, but the frogs have come to us! They were hopping all over our yard and mulch this past weekend. And they are so big! About the size of a quarter by now! Perhaps we'll have a microhabitat in our own yard where a frog will live for the summer and we can continue observing. If not, well, it was an interesting chapter in our spring 2014 story.