No doubt, it’s been a very dry year. We’ve been curious to see how long the ponds hold water, and we have that answer: they are empty by August (more or less). The southern pond is totally dry, and the northern pond has just a thin layer of mud left. Just enough to host a dense population of bull frogs. Other than that and the trees, the hills are golden brown.
So dry. What happens to the bullfrogs when the pond dries up completely?
It is possible that the bullfrog, which are introduced/invasive, may not survive the dry spell. This could be advantageous to the threatened, native California red-legged frog, which can tolerate annual dry periods by waiting them out nearby, living in the cracks of dried mud at the bottom of the pond (for 2 months!), or even relocating.