Visitors 151
Modified 5-Apr-24
Created 19-Feb-14
29 photos
The Frog Pond next to Corte Madera School, off Alpine Road and Indian Crossing of Portola Valley Ranch, is a sag pond -- where the land subsided in a previous earthquake or land disturbance. At the start of each rainy season, water gathers. Frogs by the thousands appear, singing after dark, so loud that one has to shout to be heard. Then they all stop at once, if there is a disturbance such as a passing car. A silent pause... A tentative croak, joined by another, then more, then the full-throated chorus begins again. The chorus fades as night passes; the pond is silent well before the dawn, and silent all day.
The Frog Pond sees many birds and animals. Deer, coyotes, kites, great blue herons, herons, crows, many songbirds. Here are a few. My home looks out over the Frog Pond and I am often there in the morning.
The vernal pools of the Central Valley are somewhat different than the sag ponds hereabouts, but both are seasonally dry, and both can harbor some rare animals and plants.
Check the captions! Some are long and contain contributed info.
