UC Master Gardeners of Napa County are keeping busy in their own gardens during the Covid-19 pandemic. Summer is here and there's a lot going on in the garden! Here's how Master Gardeners are spending their time:

by Penny Pawl   

There are three tiny treefrogs living in one of my plant cloners right now. I don't know how they come and go but they have found a tiny opening. For those who don't know. cloners are for plant propagation and the little guys love the water that shoots up over the lower ends of each cutting. These cloners help plant cuttings form roots faster. Sometimes I find treefrogs are on the sides of the cloner and other times they've wrapped themselves around the stem coming from the top of the container. I have never seen a fly or bug in these cloners but the treefrogs come and go as they wish. I guess a better name might be Free Range Frogs. They also live in my worm bins where I appreciate the work they do to keep the fruit flies under control. Sometimes they are so used to me being in the bins that they will sit on my hand while I move things around.  

These little guys have variations in markings on their backs, some tend to be green with no spots, and others are grey with several spots. While looking at information to identify them, I found that there are three different groups of treefrogs that live in our area. I consider them beneficial little guys and leave them alone to do their jobs.

A couple of years ago there I had an adult treefrog living with my bonsai. He would move around and we coexisted. One day I heard noises coming from that area and I found that a resident black racer snake had him hanging out of his mouth. The back legs were in the snake, the rest hadn't been swallowed. I rescued my treefrog by grabbing the snake behind his head and making it release the treefrog. The treefrog crawled off to live another day and the snake, who is still living here, slithered off the other way.

The map shows the range of these tiny little guys in California. Orange is the range of the Sierran Treefrog.

Reference/Photo credits:treefrog: FrancoFolini, (CC BY-SA 2.0)

map, California Herps-tree frogs

http://www.californiaherps.com/identification/frogsid/treefrogs.id.html

Master Gardeners are following recommended social distancing guidelines that keep everyone safe, Napa Master Gardeners are available to answer garden questions by email: mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. or phone at 707-253-4143.  Volunteers will get back to you after they research answers to your questions.

Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.