Diario de notabiologist

I went out around 2:00 pm on April 14, 2021. I saw these tadpoles swimming around in large numbers at a pond. They were very small, about a centimeter in length and black. They mostly swam in groups on the shallow end of the pond, near the bank. I had walked around the pond, but only saw these tadpoles in one area of the pond. I saw two main groups, about a meter from each other. I noticed that the sand color they were staying in was a lighter color, compared to the darker sand in other parts of the pond. The tadpoles mainly stayed near the bank and did not go too far out. They used their tails to propel themselves around, much like a flagellum. They also seem to be quite sensitive to their environment, as they quickly swam away the first time I peered into the water. I tried to be more discreet the next time so they would not skirt away. While I am not completely sure how the adult toads/frog will look like when it is fully grown, I have seen Cane Toads around the area, so it is possible these tadpoles are Cane Toads.

I went out around 2:00 pm on April 14th, 2021. I saw these plants growing in the pond. There is only one area of the pond that had plants growing. This plant grew in patches, there were about 2-3 bigger patches. I saw that a lot of the leaves were dried or had holes in them. Perhaps the poor quality of the water, or the very hot weather contributed to the yellowing leaves. I know most plants that grow on the water in large patches with large leaves typically flower. However, I could not see any flowers at this time. This could have been due to the season or that the plant was not in a very healthy condition. The leaves were about 6 inches in length, and had stems extending in all different directions.

I went out around 2:00 pm on April 14, 2021. I saw this butterfly flying around near the pond. Surprisingly, I saw many (20-30) flying around. It is usually rare to see an abundance of butterflies in my area. However, I only saw this one species. The wings of the butterfly was patterned brown and white, with the outside edges a darker brown than the inside. The middle section of the wings, near the body, has a slightly iridescent lavender hue. There are two symmetrical brown/black dots on both the left and right wings. The butterflies were flying around many flowers growing in the pond and on the banks of the bond. They were on the smaller side, about 2 inches in wingspan.

I went out around 2:00 pm on April 14, 2021. I saw a group of this plant growing in the pond water, near the bank. They mainly grew in bunches, and in one area of the pond. The flowers are small and white, and grow in clusters. Each cluster of flowers have roughly 10-15 small flowers, and each flower bunch has about 7-10 clusters. There were many butterflies flying around the flowers as well. They are about 3-4 feet tall and have thin stalks. They seemed to be growing alongside other large leafed plants.

I went out around 2:00 pm on April 14, 2021. I saw this egret among the tall grasses in a pond. At first I had not noticed it, as it was not moving around too much. The egret was quite large, almost 3 feet tall. It had white, wispy feathers at the ends of its wings and a yellowish-orange beak. As I got closer, I thought it would move away but it did not and continued to watch the water. Perhaps it was looking for animals to eat in the pond. Typically, I also see egrets walking around on the banks of the pond or on the grass. Today, this one happened to be in the water.