Amphibians, Dragonflies, and More at Picchetti Pond
Saturday (May 20), I spent the morning searching for amphibians, dragonflies, and other creatures at Picchetti Pond, the large seasonal pond located at the base of a hill at the north end of Picchetti Ranch Open Space Preserve, near Cupertino, CA. Abundant rains over the winter had filled this pond to overflowing, and even with a few weeks of dry weather, I knew that it would still be quite full. Consequently, I came to the pond to find and photograph the panoply of creatures that would be drawn to its waters.
Frogs and tadpoles abounded here. The frogs hid amongst the tufts of grasses that edged the pond, springing from their hiding spots whenever a footfall got too close to comfort. Their diminutive size and enlarged, rounded toepads indicated that they were treefrogs, and in this part of California, only one treefrog species is present – the Sierran Treefrog (Pseufacris sierra).
Most of the tadpoles in the pond were also Sierran Treefrogs. I can say this because most of them had already developed hind legs and feet that dragged through the water, just below their swimming tails. The toes were already fully visible, with each toe bearing a tiny but unmistakable rounded toepad. Interspersed among the Sierran Treefrog tadpoles were a few larger, more rotund tadpoles with light-colored chins and bellies, whose feet were differently shaped, and whose toes were pointy (meaning that they lacked those rounded toepads). I have no idea what species they were, but they seemed to be in the habit of wriggling their way to the pond’s surface and gulping in air. At least, that’s what I thought they were doing; perhaps there is some other, better explanation for this behavior.
Rounding out the amphibians at Picchetti Pond were a few larval California Newts (Taricha torosa), who drifted in and out amongst the tadpoles in what seemed like blissful obliviousness. With a careless glance, they could be easily mistaken for minnows from their color, lateral stripes, and overall shape. One had to study them carefully to notice the four tiny legs dangling from their bodies, or see the gills emerging like tiny water wings from their shoulders. I saw only two or three of these newts in the pond, where they were quickly lost amongst the large, wriggling hordes of tadpoles.
Not to be outdone by the amphibians was the pond’s array of insects. Backswimmers (Notonectidae sp.) were especially common here, floating on their backs and propelling themselves across the pond’s surface with their long, paddle-like hind legs. Almost as common were the Water Striders (Gerridae sp.), who eschewed swimming for skating across the pond in quick bursts. Over the pond, I sometimes heard the dry rattle of papery dragonfly wings; looking up, I would see Mosaic Darners (Aeshna sp.) or Common Green Darners (Anax junius), patrolling the pond for their next meal. A few Damselflies (Zygoptera sp.) lurked amidst the grass and debris at the pond’s edges; I think most of them were possibly Vivid Dancers (Argia vivida), but I will need to study my pictures of them further to say for sure.
Last but not least was a Pale Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon), who was ‘puddling’ on the mud that surrounded the pond, meaning that it would land on the mud, thrust its proboscis into it, and then ingest tiny amounts of it to extract its minerals and other nutrients. It flitted from one muddy spot to the next, repeating this behavior over and over again. As it puddled, I took many pictures of it, from different angles and in different poses, until it fluttered away, disappearing into the woodlands that stretched out in all directions from the pond.
