Biologist Blues

5 and 4: these brown bears having a water fight as they drift down a lazy river

3: this pygmy hippopotamus having a nap in the sun

2: this tiger sacked out on a warm sunny rock, upraised foot occasionally kicking a little

Building a home for a toadlet

Basically just put a bunch of rocks in a container (a shallow bird bath, a metal standing tray, a tupperware container, etc), fill it with as much water as you can while leaving the rocks partially exposed (so that there is dry surface for bugs to land on or climb onto if they get stuck), and keep it clean and refreshed with clean and cool water especially on hot days.

I use one of these filled with a mixture of rocks and glass pebbles for a very cheap bug bath that the birds also enjoy AND I put a chair next to it for the squirrels to get drinks (which they do!) You'll find a bunch by googling "metal table tray" and they're surprisingly sturdy once filled with water and if you push the legs into the ground a bit.

I also use a large but fairly shallow ceramic serving bowl as a ground bath, with less rocks, which is mainly enjoyed by frogs, toads, wasps, and whatever critters take drinks from it as they walk through my yard. I've seen beetles take breaks to swim around in it and today, as I was refilling, a wasp was hovering nearby and took a drink as soon as it was full. It left and then a ton more wasps came to get drinks.

And I have this one (not my photo) on my deck for the birds but they've never used it (not enough cover, I think) but the little frogs are removable and hollow and mine are FILLED with earwigs?? And the bees that enjoy my deck plants really enjoy the bath's water.

Saguaro National Park, Tucson, Arizona

A Nervous Old Man (right) and his Emotional Support Violence Machine (Left)

I am your everything