June 27th, 2006
Look Who the Rain Brought Over
Don’t worry, there’s lots more ASDAH stuff that I’ll be posting over the next few days or weeks. While I was in class tonight, though, there was a big rainstorm, and when I came home, look who was waiting by my front step!
Of course, given my complete lack of memory about 6th grade science, I don’t know if she’s a toad or a frog, or what kind of which she might be. And this photo doesn’t give you much information about scale; she’s almost as big as my fist. If I were a real naturalist I would have managed to get a ruler in the photo with her, but I’m just an amateur, so you’ll have to imagine. I didn’t want to approach her too closely, because in this climate, you never know–she might bleed from the eyes or spit poison at me or ooze toxins from her skin. Or bite. Who knows. So I just kinda held the camera down at her level in the dark and pushed the button, and yowzah! This new camera is amazing. As is my evening visitor. I’m wondering if she came for the bugs that are drawn to the outside light, which for once I left on; or if she was on her way to the little garden fountain and I just surprised her. I was a little worried she might be injured, given the number of shameless cats in this neighborhood, but I looked out the door just a few minutes later and she was gone. I wonder if she heard me earlier, sighing on the phone to Yawning Lion about the lovely frogs I saw this weekend in Ohio, and was all like, “Hey! See? You don’t need to go across the country to meet critters of the hoppy persuasion!”
Added 06/29/06: Piig writes to say she thinks this may be a Woodhouse’s toad, Bufo woodhousii. See what you think. Thanks Piig!
