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Introduction from a Fellow Amphibian Lover

hardmile

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Jul 28, 2019
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I'm surprised and delighted to discover a group of people as much in love with amphibians as myself. By way of introduction, I'm an author, wildlife photographer, and professional union organizer.


During the spring of 2005, I purchased property in rural North Carolina. The house came with a large above-ground swimming pool. Before I had a chance to replace the stagnant water, it was filled with hundreds of tadpoles. I didn’t have the heart to kill them, and decided to wait until winter. As the months progressed, I became enchanted as the tadpoles evolved into baby frogs and toads the size of a fingernail, and began photographing them.

I’ve allowed the environment to evolve on its own, with only minimal intervention: introducing hyacinths as water purifiers, removing invasive plant overgrowth, and adding water during droughts. The pool has become surrounded by trees, providing shade and protection. A dozen frog species, along with several species of newts and salamanders have since migrated into the habitat. It’s never been artificially stocked.

Human construction and indifference have caused the extermination of half the world’s amphibians, and continue to threaten their survival. It’s been gratifying to provide a refuge for these sweet, innocent and ancient creatures.

[FONT=&quot]I’m author of The Jackson Project: War in the American Workplace (Univ. of TN Press; 2016). http://www.hardmilesmusic.com/jacksonproject.html[/FONT]

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MnGuy

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Wow! That sounds like a beautiful habitat! Do you have some photos you can share?
 

MnGuy

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I posted some photos yesterday but they don't seem to be up yet. Here's a link to where my photos are posted on Flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/89271115@N03/albums


Phil

Beautiful photos. You're a great photographer. It looks like your pool has a tremendous amount of biodiversity. Do you have any full shots of the entire setup? I'd like to see how the whole thing looks.


Thanks.
 

hardmile

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Caswell County, NC
I'm glad you like the pics, and thanks for your kind words. I usually photograph close-ups, but I'll try to get some shots that take in the whole set-up and post them.
 
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