Thamnophis Proximus Rubrilineatus aka Phil

A Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus has taken up residence in our pond. I am going to call him Phil--or Philomena if she starts carrying her babies around on her back which I have heard the moms do. Phil is a redstripe ribbon snake. He has been in the pond for at least a couple of days now and I don't think he can get out. Dan and Zaga are convinced he can, but every time I see him he is on the same lily pad. These garter snakes do live by permanent bodies of water, are excellent swimmers, and eat mostly frogs so I am not surprised to see one by the pond. I am just surprised to see one so consistently IN the pond. Although as Dave said, why not? It's an all you can eat buffet for him.

And I added lots more food today. Dan drained his pond to clear out the algae, and there were hundreds of tiny tadpoles in the skimmer box. They would have boiled in there had I left them so I scooped the water--leaves, tadpoles, and all--into a bucket and carried it (one bucket at a time) over to my pond and dumped it in. I was raining sweat by the time I finished (and I'll admit, somewhat dizzy from the heat), but I think I got every last one of the tadpoles. Now we'll see how many of them can evade the fish, the snake, and the other frogs who would probably eat them, and grow up into fat frogs.

Speaking of frogs, there were a lot fewer of them in the pond today then there have been. There were a few hiding in the leaves of the lilies, and a few more nestled into the algae on the bottom, but there was definitely not a frog on every pad as there was a week ago. I wonder if it's Phil or his cousins who a making them wary. Well, if I need more frogs, there are two basins in the back yard that are part of the non-working stream that have water in them and which are also full of tadpoles. The water is totally disgusting, but apparently the frogs like it anyway.

Now it's time for me to toddle off to bed as my right hand is still terribly swollen from yesterday's beestings and it hurts to do just about everything (including type) with it.