Costa meets a gardener who has created a haven for frogs and gets his tips for pond design. Subscribe đź”” http://ab.co/GA-subscribe Sean is a garden landscaper and his own backyard is a 2.5-hectare block in the Noosa hinterland.
Here he has been able to explore his habitat hobby – building frog ponds. He has more than 50 here already and through his work reckons he has created about 600.
Sean has been creating habitat for wildlife since he was a young boy (he’d already built three by the time he was seven!) and he’s been learning about his current home environment and its flora and fauna for more than 20 years, transforming a barren horse paddock to a diverse paradise. He watches how the animals use the environment, then follows their lead to create better habitat for them.
He observed and followed the natural contours of the land to create water channels, adding mulch-like rocks and logs for extra habitat, and layers of plants, “because frogs exist in all the layers of vegetation, from trees to palms, grasses and groundcovers,” Sean explains. He has counted 17 different species of frog in his backyard.
Sean says that no matter what the type of pond or frog you want to cater for, in most climates you want the pond to receive a reasonable amount of sunlight but not too much. “Full sun will just lead to full on algae growth”
Cane toads don’t like moving through thick grass layers so he plants densely to try to keep these out.
To avoid breeding mosquitoes, Sean recommends installing a pump or waterfall to keep the water moving, but long-term he says you need patience to allow the natural ecosystem to build up, so predators will control their numbers.
Sean also grows lots of fruit and vegetables, keeping his family fed through the year, because he’s keen to show you can have both habitat and healthy food production.
Featured Frogs and Toads: CANE TOAD - Rhinella marina CASCADE TREE FROG - Litoria pearsoniana GREEN TREE FROG - Litoria caerulea EMERALD-SPOTTED TREE FROG - Litoria peronii EASTERN SEDGEFROG - Litoria fallax STRIPED MARSH FROG - Limnodynastes peronii
Featured Plants: FLAX-LILY - Dianella sp. CREEK MAT-RUSH - Lomandra hystrix
Filmed on Kabi Kabi Country | Pomona, Qld ___________________________________________
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