Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Frog Studies 8-1-06




This little fella and his pal nearby (not pictured) woke me up yesterday morning croaking/bleating (among rooster cries that don't wake me anymore). They were darn happy about the rain. One frog would make a sound while his pal (pictured) sat calmly. Then the pictured fella would respond to the call with a throaty enthusiasm. They had a good rhythm going, back and forth. It rained all day yesterday, flooding everywhere, and these creatures were thrilled to be alive. Pictures were taken thru my window screen so not too clear. I call them frogs even though they might be spadefoot toads which are really frogs a friend recently confirmed for me. I woke up excited, saying, "the barking frogs outside the window!" even though I've never seen a barking frog before. Then I thought only bullfrogs did the throaty thing, but more and more I'm thinking they're spadefoot toads (frogs). Any herpetologists in the house? I told the students at the detention center about them when they asked about the rain... they seemed excited to hear about them too. The frogs stayed in the temporary pool of water beside my house pretty much all day. Once in awhile they'd take a little swim for a few inches among mesquite pods and brush. Watching them spread out like that made me think of the packed public pools I used to go to as a kid. Your little swimming space heavenly. All the crazy activity around you blocked out for the joy of a brief float.

2 comments:

gina said...

We have frogs (toads?) too, and crickets, and doves, all a-throat with the cool damp days. Infectious, yes. I still love to swim in community pools. Much better than swimming alone.

Emmy said...

Desert souls in summer wide awake.

I haven't been to a public pool in ages. You inspire me to try again.