I decided to clean the waterfall after reading a comment from Timelesslady of Minding my P’s with Q. She suggested I start the falls with reduced force so that the frogs wouldn’t be frightened. Brilliant!

I removed leaves with a child’s rake and took a photo before I took leaves from the deepest pool.

Emptying the bottom pool took a while. I used a plastic mixing bowl to scoop out most of the water and then used a litter scooper to get the leaves. I filled that pool a couple of times and drained it with the pump, so the water is fairly clear.

Going to the top of the falls, I took a photo showing the three pools that are in use right now. Water does not reach the top hose after I restricted the flow. There is a nice little sound of falling water.

I couldn’t believe there was movement in the lowest pool. Frog surprised me with his swimming around. He couldn’t get out because the water was too low! I have no idea when he went in the water. Surely he wasn’t there when I was scooping out the murky mess! Water was filling the pool as I stood at the top. Frog tried to climb the hose, then he took a lap around before trying again. As the water level rose, I saw him leap and land on the edge, pausing for a few moments before hiding under a rock. When the pool was full, I quietly retrieved my tools and left the area. I hope poor Frog will recover from his fright of the day. He certainly shocked me!