Help Tilda the Toad Save Her Pond!

Tilda the Toad loves her pond. It's where she eats, sleeps, and plays, and it’s been her home for many years. One bright, sunny day, Tilda awoke and was startled to find her pond surrounded by tall reedy plants that seemed to have moved in overnight. These plants grew very dense, too dense to live or hide in comfortably. Where her pond was once lively with animal friends playing in the cattails and eating an abundance of food, it was now a place of silence with no friends or food in sight. Things weren't quite right, and she knew she needed help, but who was she to call?

Then, she remembered that an old froggy friend had talked about the TTLT Stewardship Team and the great work they had done to make Meadowlily Nature Preserve a happier place for all the plants and animals there. She was sure they would know what to do! Tilda didn't waste any time - she hopped to the nearest bus stop and hitched a ride to Meadowlily Nature Preserve. Upon arriving, Tilda found a small path that led her through lovely green shade, across a sturdy wooden bridge, and into a wide-open meadow. The TTLT Team was nowhere in sight. What was in sight though was a beautiful butterfly, fluttering lazily in the sunshine. "Have you seen the TTLT team?" Tilda asked the butterfly. "Yes! But they left. They were talking about a place with many points."

🦋 What nature reserve do you think the butterfly was referring to?

Which TTLT Nature reserve was the butterfly talking about? That's right – Five Points Forest (Driedger Tract)! 🌳

Unfortunately for Tilda, there were no buses from Meadowlily Nature Preserve to Five Points Forest, so she hopped as far as she could until she came across a slow-moving tractor. Tilda noticed that there seemed to be a lot of those around. Surely the farmers wouldn't mind if she borrowed one – she was doing it for a good cause! So, she hopped into the cab of a green tractor and made her way to Five Points Forest (Driedger Tract). Now she just had to find the Stewardship Team! 🚜

Can you spot any signs that the Team might be at Five Points Forest?

Tilda saw the tools and backpack left along the path by the Team and TTLT volunteers and followed it deep into the wetland. She had been hopping for some time, even straying off the trail, but there was no one in sight. She went to turn back, but realized she had no idea where she was. Lost and confused, she searched for a friendly face and found a turtle named Shelley 🐢. Shelley was very kind and told Tilda all about the amazing things TTLT staff and volunteers had been doing at the nature reserve. More recently, they had been collecting seeds from wetland species but had left some time ago. Shelley offered her assistance in helping Tilda out of Five Points Forest. They reached the trail entrance and Shelley wished Tilda good luck in finding the Team. Feeling hopeless, Tilda decided it was time to go home when all of a sudden, a hawk swooped down low to say hello 🦅. "Did I just hear that turtle wish you luck in finding the TTLT Team?" said the hawk. "I know where they might be! I'm meeting some friends at Hawk Cliff Woods and I've seen them there before. Would you like a ride?" With her hope renewed, Tilda enthusiastically agreed and hopped on the hawk's back.

They flew through the air at what felt like the speed of light and arrived in no time. The place was packed with people carrying large camera lenses and binoculars, so she decided to start her search in the forest where it was a little quieter. As she made her way through the understory, a bright streak of orange ran across her path. There was a rustle in the shrubs and out popped the head of a young fox, which said "Hi, I'm Finley." 🦊 Tilda introduced herself to Finley and told them of her plight. Finley got excited and exclaimed, "I saw them! I know where they're going! Let me take you there!" And they were off!

🌸 Word was, the TTLT truck was headed to the other nature reserve with a community wildflower garden.

The only other nature reserve with a community wildflower garden is Wardsville Woods, which is where our story begins today.

As Finley and Tilda came up to the parking lot at Wardsville Woods, they spotted the TTLT truck 🛻. Tilda hopped off Finley's back, thanked them over and over again, and excitedly made her way into Wardsville Woods. As Tilda got closer, she could hear the loud growl of a lawnmower. She knew it was the Team maintaining the trails, but she couldn't tell where it was coming from?

Should Tilda check for the Team in the forest 🌳 or in the meadow 🌼? 

Tilda followed the sound of the lawnmower into the meadow and found TTLT staff and volunteers busy at work. Tilda was so excited; she couldn't stop hopping up and down with joy. She told the Team about her troubles, and they quickly jumped into action, loading everything and everyone (including Tilda) into the truck.

When they got to Tilda's pond, everyone went straight to work, cutting down the tall reedy plants they called Phragmites. Within a couple of hours, Tilda's pond started to look more normal and was back to health in no time! The pond was livelier than ever, with many animal friends returning and food available for all. She thanked the Team and TTLT volunteers profusely and settled in for some much-needed rest 💤. As her adventure came to an end, Tilda the toad sang a sweet song of gratitude and slept soundly, dreaming of herself saving the world with TTLT 🌎.

THE END 🐸

Thank you for following along on Tilda the Toad's adventure! Let's finish Giving Tuesday off strong and make a massive impact for nature!