I don’t like frogs, never did! I remember one summer evening as a kid riding my bike home on a newly tarred street next to an open water filled basement under construction rumbling over hundreds of frogs in the street. I still have nightmares about this experience.
This is our fourth year at the lake and I have never seen such a plethora of frogs. All of the moisture early in the season probably created the ideal environment for them to flourish and they are still around in hordes. I have come eye to eye with several while weeding my perennial flower bed and they seem quite happy hopping from the cover of one zucchini plant to the next in the garden. There is a mowed path through a field we often walk and it was like playing hopscotch to avoid stepping on them as we took a walk last week. I have stuck to the road ever since but I still see many of them happily jumping around in the ditch. A few of their compadres weren’t so lucky when they hopped onto the road and met their demise. My neighbors experienced a loud bumpy highway drive the other evening when myriad frogs jumped into the metal underneath their moving vehicle. Once friend says it has taken her twice as long to mow her lawn this summer trying to dodge them. Another said she just barrels through on her lawnmower with their remains becoming fertilizer. Yikes!
I think they trouble the dogs too. One friend says his dog keeps pondering empty spaces in the grass where he caught a glimpse of a frog that quickly jumped out of this vision. Others say the chase provides great exercise for their dogs and I heard about one dog terrorizing the grandchildren when he appeared at eye level with frog legs hanging from his mouth. I guess frog legs are quite tasty but I am not inclined to gather the bounty and set about dissecting them in multiples to make a meal. Sounds like just another opportunity for nightmares to me.
Frogs are amphibians and live in or near the water presenting as wet or smooth. The ones I have seen come in many shades of green. In consulting Google, I identified this local frog as that of the “plains leopard” frog which is quite prevalent in the upper Midwest. Toads, on the other hand, live on land and have rough dry bumpy earth colored skin.
There are 5000 plus species of frogs in the ecological system and they feed on bugs and serve as food for many predators including birds. I hear they can be used as fish bait but you will have to consult your fishing buddies about when and how to use them as such. I also read that frogs are under threat worldwide from habitat loss, pollution and a new deadly parasitic fungus known as amphibian chytrid. Frog enthusiasts suggest ensuring their survival by building a pond in your yard that will also add aesthetic appeal but I will think I will forego that method of upgrading my landscape and/or saving part of the animal kingdom.
Anyway, I guess my frog experiences this summer are just another “coming home” phenomenon. I hear the monarch butterflies are here in droves this year too. Maybe I will study them next! 2018