My Froggy Friends!

  The raking of oak leaves continued today with another twenty or so wheelbarrows full hauled down to use as mulch in the lower part of the property.  As I wheeled down the hill, I had to pass the little Frog Pond. With each pass, I would notice pair of new frogs on the lily pads.  Unlike the bullfrogs, these little ones did not dive into the water when I would venture too close.  That made me curious.  Just how close could I get to the frogs?  Well, pretty close was my answer.  Not once did the frogs dive for cover.  Why they never even moved at all!  So I decided that these must be friendly frogs and would speak to them as I wheeled past.  As I was raking, I kept a wary eye out for any bug that looked like a suitable meal for a frog and soon I was tossing all sorts of critters into the water.  It was amusing to see the frogs scramble for an easy meal.  (Yes, I am easily amused and...yes, I do speak with the critters of the Bayou!)

  The frogs in question are Bronze Frogs. (If you ask me, The Bronze Frog would make a good name for some funky restaurant, a crazy rock group or perhaps a trendy art gallery!)  As frogs go, Bronze Frogs are smallish and only get to be about five inches in length.  They sometimes have a bit of green on the face and the males could have that distinctive frog trait of a yellow throat.  The Bronze Frog is also known as the Green Frog (just don't confuse them with the Green Tree Frogs!) merely because of the coloration and a lot of that color variation is due to where they are found.  Some that are in the deep swamps are nigh on black while others in less murky areas are brighter green.  The bronze coloring is just a mix of things.  They are all the same type of frog!  I am glad that I have the bronze colored ones just because they add a bit of interest to the Frog Pond.  The bullfrogs seem to have accepted that these newcomers need a home and are giving them space for the moment.  I am afraid that given enough time, the larger bullfrogs will devour my little bronze friends.  Those big jokers will eat anything that moves!  The tiny tadpoles are fair game so it is a good thing that all frogs lay tons of eggs.  Still, if the bullfrogs show out to be big meanies, they will be carted off to the back creek and the Frog Pond will remain as a safe haven for those who play nicely together.  

  With my befriending the Prothonotary Warbler yesterday and the Bronze Frogs today, folks are going to start pondering my sanity.  I say that we can never have too many friends and if most of mine are of the critter sort, I am good with that.  If folks think I am batty....so be it....the critters don't seem to mind one iota!