A few months back, a young lad visited the Bayou. He, like most boys his age, had a great interest in the Frog Pond. He caught tadpoles and let them swim free from his hands, chased dragonflies and spent an hour or so croaking like a frog. During this time, his grandmother kept telling him to "Be careful!", "Don't chase the frogs!" and "No, you cannot pet a frog!" Well, I was all for the being careful. You just never know when there might be a snake among the lily pads. I was ok with not chasing the frogs, although, frogs don't really care. It was that statement about not petting frogs that struck a chord. Yep, you CAN pet frogs! I know Grandma did not mean that it was wrong to pet them but rather that she did not think he COULD pet them. Yep, you CAN pet frogs.
There is one green frog that has been in the pond long enough to become familiar with me. This little rascal sits on the side of the pond or beneath a piece of driftwood on the edge and is not easily frightened. I have petted it many times and, well, that little boy needed to pet it, too. After asking his grandmother's permission, I gave the lad careful instructions. He needed to move slowly, be quiet and not make any sudden movements. He agreed that he could do this so I let him proceed. His grandma and I watched as he eased to the edge of the pond where the froggy sat. Slowly, ever so slowly, he reached his hand down to the frog and, after a few seconds, started petting it!
I have never seen so much excitement in a little fellow's eyes as I did then. Even though you could tell that he was about to burst with glee, the little boy did not make any sudden movements to startle his new friend. Once the frog had enough of the attention, it hopped into the water and swam to a lily pad and the little tyke bounced around the yard with sheer happiness. Grandma, on the other hand, stood in disbelief of what she had just witnessed. "Never in my dreams would I have guessed that he could pet that frog!" she exclaimed. I just smiled. Yep, you CAN pet frogs.
This morning started off with squalls on the horizon. While Mark told me that "they will pass over", I had this sinking feeling that was not to be the case. I have learned to never believe him when he utters those words! There have been far too many times that we have returned soaking wet from fishing trips out on the Bay. "The cloud will pass over!" is not something I want to hear from him! I know better! Water will pour from the sky just minutes after the statement leaves his mouth! Sure enough, those squalls decided to hang around the Bayou for the entire day. Only quick dashes outside were possible and then were usually to gather tomatoes or rush something out to the compost pile.
It was on one of those rushed outings that frogs could be spied everywhere! Those little guys loved the drippy day! Of course there were the assorted bullfrogs, green frogs and bronze frogs in and around the Frog Pond but I was more excited about the tiny toads and baby green tree frogs that had just morphed from tadpoles. Most were no bigger than a pea and were so adorable!
Mark and I found hundreds of baby toads hopping about the yard, dozens and dozens of baby tree frogs on lily pads, and any plant near the pond and lots of adult frogs just lounging about the grass and pond edge. Am I the only person that loves seeing the yard just hopping mad with frogs of all types? Probably. But, hey, at least it brightened a rainy day!
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!
In view of the past few weeks, I am beginning to think that I missed my calling. Perhaps, somewhere in my past, I should have studied herpetology. With the alligators, snakes, lizards, turtles, toads and frogs that suddenly seem to catch my interest at any given time, I might have had a fantastic career ahead of me if I had only thought to do so. I guess living on the Bayou, I really do not have much choice but be surrounded by these critters. Although what good a degree in Herpetology would do me is beyond my understanding, at least I would know a bit more about the critters.
In the Frog Pond, there is any number of different types of frogs and toads. The pond is small and shallow but has lots of hiding places. Evidently, this is all it takes to entertain the critters. The two Bronze Frogs are fast becoming my favorites for the season. Their loud croaks are quite distinctive when compared to the American Tree Frogs or the Southern Toads. The Bronzes are also rather friendly creatures. Today, I told Elizabeth how I can pet both frogs. This was all it took for her to drop to her knees and reach into the pond. Darling Daughter is just about as game as I am when it comes to critters. Not many give her the heebie-jeebies. One frog sat long enough for her to stroke its back a few times before leaping onto another lily pad.
My brilliant idea of becoming a Herpetologist came to a screeching halt when I realized how much was involved. Maybe I should just stick to photographing and befriending the critters and leave the scientific stuff to the experts. Still, I am glad that the Frog Pond is home to so many fun critters!
Last night, I wrote about the Froggy Hotel and its residents. It seems that a number of frogs and toads love to live in the hollow stump that we placed in the Frog Pond. I suppose it gives them a feeling of safety from any predators. The only true danger they would face is a snake. If a moccasin decided to make a raid upon the residents of the pond, the stump would appear to become more of a trap than a haven. Last night, I also stated that a new frog had moved into the pond. Its loud croak was quite different than the rest and is what called my attention to its presence. Darkness set in before I could identify my visitor so the quest had to be postponed until today.
Mark and I were out back picking the Boysenberries when I noticed Froggy had picked up his singing once again. I eased to the Frog Pond for a sighting of the elusive critter. Ahh, he was not in hiding this afternoon! In fact, the frog seemed rather tame. I quickly identified the frog as a Bronze Frog (also, known as a Green Frog depending upon the area and the coloring of the particular frog.) As I photographed the pretty little fellow, he never made a move to escape. He sat staring at me as if to ask me for a meal. Well, to that, I must oblige. I caught a few grasshoppers and tossed them in his general direction. He took kindly to my actions and quickly snatched the insects. He seemed pleased so I caught a few more. These, too, were gobbled with haste. Froggy never moved other than to catch the bugs.
It is my intention to head out to the Frog Pond early in the morning to see if the frog is still there. Perhaps if I feed him a few more grasshoppers, he will accept my friendship. Some folks despise frogs in their ponds because they eat a lot of the pond fish. Me? I like the frogs better than fish. I do not have to feed the frogs except when I want! Froggy, you are welcome to stay in the Froggy Hotel for as long as you like!
