MY ONE

SMALL

SQUARE

Pond

By Ms. Lanette

Belted Kingfisher

Rainbow Trout

Wild Iris

Green Darner

Painted Turtle

Pickerel Frog

Raccoon

Insert scanned or digital picture of hand-drawn

sketch of their small square featuring the pond life

plants and animals researched on the left-or a

digital picture of the student by the RBNC pond.

Belted Kingfisher-Ceryle alcyon

• The kingfisher likes to fish alone. It makes a loud rattling sound to warn others that a certain pond is his favorite fishing spot. No trespassing is allowed!

• It loves fish, especially trout. It swallows a fish whole after beating it senseless with it’s long beak. Sometimes the fish is too big and it’s tail will stick out of the kingfisher’s mouth until the head is digested! This fact almost makes me gag!

• It takes a long time of training before young kingfishers will take the plunge and actually capture a fish! It’s like jumping off a high diving board for the first time! Practice makes perfect!

Pickerel Frog-Rana Palustris

• If you see a pickerel frog in a pond, it is always brown with tiger stripes on its back legs; but, don’t touch because poison will come out of its skin!

• They snore loudly. Don’t confuse them with the leopard frog who snores and then chuckles. I wonder if they talk in their sleep too?

• They only live in southeastern Minnesota. That’s kind of amazing that no other place in the world has pickerel frogs!

                                    

Bibliography

Kavanagh, James. Pond Life: An Introduction to Familiar Plants and Animals Living In or Near Ponds, Lakes and Wetlands. Waterford Press. 2003.

http://bcadventure.com/adventure/wilderness/birds/kingfish.htm

http://www.herpnet.net/Minnesota-Herpetology/frogs_toads/Pickerel_frog.html

A special thanks to the RBNC staff for helping me learn about ponds without getting too wet!