Thank You Ed and Brian!

I took quite a while to finish the Darkland, Bastimentos FS, Rambala, and Golfito Vivs, but they are finally fully built. I now just have to add a bit more leaf litter and wait for microfauna to get going and plants to fill in a bit. Thanks to Brian, for drilling holes, and Ed, for tons of plants! I sincerely appreciate your assistance! Of course, there will be a whole new set of pictures when the animals are introduced, but for now here are a few photos and plant lists.

Plants from Ed - I think I counted 26 in all

 

BFS - Hardscpae

BFS - Plants and Substrate Added

BFS - Closeup of Broms

BFS plant list - Neoregelia generic fireball type, Neoregelia hot tamale, Neoregelia mocha mint, Masdevallia herradurae, Ficus radicans, Marcgravia sp., Ficus Panama, Peperomia serpens, Microgramma lycopodiodes, Begonia polygonoides, Syngonium Rayii, Ruellia sp., Pellionia repens, Begonia manaus.

Darkland - Hardscape

Darkland - Plants and Substrate Added

 

Darkland - Closeup of Broms

Darkland plant list - Neoregelia maya, Neoregelia trey, Neoregelia gold fever, Ficus villosa, Restrepia brachypus, Bulbophyllum sp., Begonia limprictii, Clidemia hirta, Cissus amazonica, Ficus radicans, Begonia manaus. Unfortunately the camera doesn't do justice to the colors on the Neo Maya and Trey. They are pale yellow with pink accents and glow white under the blue led moonlight. 

20g Quad

Rambala - Left

 Rambala Left Plant list - Neoregelia donger, Billbergia poquito mas, Tillandsia abdita, Cryptanthus sp., African Violet sp., Peperomia sp., Selaginella erythropus, Syngonium erythrophyllum, Manuran Vine
 

Rambala - Right

Rambala Right Plant list - Neoregelia fireball, Neoregelia red waif, Neoregelia sp., Tillandsia abdita, Begonia rex sp., Begonia prismatocarpa, Rhaphidophora sp., Microgramma heterophylla, Anubias nana.

15g Trio

Golfito - Hardscape

Golfito - Planted and Substrate Added

Golfito plant list - Vriesea splendens, Vriesea ospinae, Vriesea erythrodactylon, Neoregelia fireball, Neoregelia pauciflora x katutskyi, Neoregelia sao sebastio, Billbergia boracho, Begonia manaus, Epipremnum pinnatum blue, Ficus radicans, Pellionia repens, Peperomia serpens, Philodendron glaucophyllum,

Another Must Have for Oophaga Fans!

Fellow frogger, Brian Harris, created this stunning calendar from photos he took on a recent trip to Panama. I absolutely had to have one and with a portion of the profits going to Tree Walkers International, all Oophaga fans should pick one up! Click HERE to see photos of each month and learn how you can purchase your own calendar.

Transport Shot - Pumilio San Cristobal

I rarely seem to come across my frogs in transport and photographs of the event have all but completely eluded me. Granted this is not a photographic masterpiece, I was incredibly excited to get it!

I really must pick up a better camera and learn a few skills.

Oophaga Pumilio Locales

A fun little video that shows various Pumilio locales.

A Collection of Strawberry Dart Frogs Found in Costa Rica

I came across this video today and had to share. I love the way it slowly zooms in and the frogs get louder.

First Pumilio San Cristobal OOTW

Today is an incredibly exciting day for me! Finally, the longest residents of my current obligate group, have offspring coming out of the water. I went to see if I could snap a photo of this little guy…

when I found his sibling up on the mushroom shelf.

And here's the most recent generation.

First Pumilio Isla Popa OOTW

He's still hiding in the safety of the bromeliad. I can't wait to see all of him! There's also a second froglet in the center of the brom behind him. It's not quite ready to come out.

Things I Lost in the Fire - The Holy Grail

No, I'm not referring to a real fire, but a metaphorical one mentioned in History. There are a few animals from my former collection that I have vowed will someday be part of my life again: Uroplatus Phantasticus, Pumilio Bastimentos, and Pumilio Rio Branco. Today an animal I have long since coveted as the Holy Grail of my collection is here once again. This is a small preview while the animals settle in to their temporary home.

Male U. Phantasticus

Male U. Phantasticus

Female U. Phantasticus

Blooms in the Viv

I love using flowers as part of my viv plans. There's something about the viv that seems so alive when the plants not only grow, but transform with bursts of color throughout the year. Many of my plants are currently blooming. These are a few of my past and present favorites.

Begonia Prismatocarpa 

Begonia Prismatocarpa

Haraella Retrocalla

Epidendrum Porpax

Dendrobium Indivism

Trias Intermedia

Pennywort

African Violet

Monocostus Uniflorus

M.U. - I love the spiral growth habit of this plant!

Aerangis Luteo Alba

Kingianum Deliciosum

History

Since this blog is now at the one year mark I thought it would be fun to write a little history of how I came to where I am now in this hobby. I will use as many of my own pictures as possible, but unfortunately there are very few from earlier years so, where absent, I will use representative photos with credit to the source.

It started when I was a small child. My father was a marine fish importer and would often go away to warmer places to collect. He would come home with boxes filled with brightly colored fish, crabs, shellfish, and other amazing creatures as well as stories of the places he'd been. He would tell me about lush forests and crystal clear waters. Once he came home with a baby nurse shark. Feeding that guy always scared the crap out-a me as a kid.

My Dad November 2003

My father also kept many birds, my mom raised quarter horses, we had dogs and cats, and lived in the country so from a young age I was predisposed to be an avid animal lover. Apparently the first year I could talk, I asked Santa Clause for a lizard. My dad, who never did anything small, went out and bought a whole tank full. The one I remember most was a skink that I named Elizabeth. I used to take her for walks in my baby carriage. I remember her looking a bit like this:

praying-mantis101.blogspot.com

Throughout my childhood I had many pets, but the first frog I remember owning was an Argentine Horned Frog that my father brought home from one of his collecting trips. I loved the little guy, but when someone told me he could get big enough to eat a rabbit, I was out. I traded him to a family friend who owned a local pet store for 4 parakeets, 2 rabbits, an aquarium, and some fish. AHF's were not quite as common in those days. He looked a bit like this:

frogsaregreen.com

During my elementary, jr. high, and high school years I kept many frogs (mostly tree frogs) including Green, Grey, Cuban, Golden, White's, White lipped, Barking, Big-Eyed, Reed frogs, and others.

www.animalspot.net

www.cmnh.org

www.conservenature.org

www.amphibiancare.com

people.uwec.edu

www.itsawildlife.com

www.herpsofnc.org

naturesbestblog.files.wordpress.com

gvikenya.wildlifedirect.org

Everything I kept in my earlier years came from pet stores. When we went on vacation, my dad and I always made a habit of visiting pet stores in the area to look for unusual herps. Ordering from breeders was much more difficult back then. One of my favorite stores was always East Bay Vivarium. I used to call them the Home Depot of Reptiles. I picked up my first pair of Jackson's Chameleons there.

www.jacksonschameleoncaresheet.com

In 1999, I discovered Reptile Depot and one of my favorite froggers to this day, Steve Sotelo. I would look forward to Steve's visits every year at the Wasatch Reptile Expo, and he was always great at answering questions by email or phone. Steve introduced me to Uroplatus geckos. Uroplatus Phantasticus are still a favorite animal to this day.

Circa 2007

Circa 2007

In 2001, I purchased my first poison dart frog, a solid black Dendrobates Auratus from local pet store Mark's Ark.

A few other dart frogs followed in the next three years including other Dendrobates Auratus, Dendrobates Leucomelas, and Dendrobates Tinctorius (Oyapok, Patrica, and Brazillian Yellowhead).

www.savethefrogs.com

Circa 2008

In early 2004, I decided to seek out a frog I had read an article about (I believe in Reptiles Magazine): Phyllobatess Terribilis. I found them for sale on pumilio.com and sent an email to the owner of the site, Thomas Villegas. I arranged to purchase 4 Phyllobates Terribilis and 2 Dendrobates Leucomelas from Thomas. As luck would have it, I had already planned a trip to his state and could pick them up from his home personally. 

ggreptiles.com

In the time between emails and meeting Thomas, I spent a lot of time reading through his website and looking at pictures. It was at this point that I first learned about Dendrobates (now Oophaga) Pumilio. These were the "Strawberry Poison Dart Frogs" that I had often seen on nature shows as a child. Thomas was a gracious host and took a great deal of time to go over care of the Terribilis and general dart frog chat as well. I felt honored when he showed me into his frog room for my first look at Pumilio in person. I left with my new frogs and vowed someday I would work with Pumilio.  In the summer of 2007, I finally had my chance. 

My first Pumilio came from Reptile Depot while at the Wasatch Reptile Expo. It was fitting that I would purchase it from Steve. It was a Rio Branco, a morph I have not seen for sale since. After talking with Marcus Breece, I believe the frog originated from him.   

I also picked up a 10g vivarium and "proven pair" of Ranitomeya Ventrimaculata from Tropical Ecos at this expo.  These were my first Ranitomeya.

Circa 2008

Same Viv Circa 2011

Circa 2007

In 2008, I purchased three Oophaga Pumilio Bastimentos from Pristine Tropics. I was enamored by these highly variable and amazingly beautiful little frogs.

Circa 2008

Circa 2009

Circa 2009

In early 2009, the radiant heat in my condo malfunctioned. When I came home from school one day, the temperature was over 100 degrees. My cats lay panting on the floor and everything else, fish, frogs, geckos, orchids, etc, was dead. It was time to move. My fiance and I began our hunt for a home and that summer, we found the perfect one. By October we were moved in and I started rearranging terrariums to once again accommodate life. My first purchase was four Melanophrynicus Stelzneri. This group is a lot of fun. I think the male's call is simply charming!

March, 2010

In October 2010, I finally picked up what was reported to be a pair of Cristobal Pumilio. They later turned out to both be female. These two girls have been an interesting, entertaining, and beautiful first addition to my new Oophaga clan. The recent arrival of a male to finish off the trio was an exciting day and I look forward to their first offspring! 

What a fatty

Such a handsome guy

I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to share my home with these amazing creatures and I hope you have enjoyed reading about them.