The Green Prince

Fat-n-friendly green frog.

we have several ponds at Dearness Gardens, fairly bursting with a delightful assortment of creatures including goldfish, koi, minnows, a northern water snake, bullfrogs, green frogs, toads, tadpoles, dragonflies, and some type of large fish (bluegill maybe?) that was rescued from a customer’s pond that was being drained.  in the early morning, Myrtle (the cat) and i enjoy a stroll around the ponds for a drink of water (the cat) and to see what aquatic residents we might spy.  this morning, as most of the frogs made their usual quick escape dive as we approached, this one green frog seemed unconcerned by my presence and remained comfortably perched on his rock.  his composure remained intact as i slowly circled with my camera, shooting him from various angles.  i like to think it was my “frog whisperer” status that allowed me this unusual access, but rather i fear this frog might be the pond resident destined to be weeded out by natural selection and end up in the belly of a rogue heron.  such are the thoughts of a biologist.  here’s your cocktail party conversation starter for the week:  you can tell a green frog from a bullfrog by the dorsolateral fold, the fold of skin that begins at the eye and extends all the way down the back.  bullfrogs lack this extended fold.  green frogs are known to migrate from their natal ponds to nearby ponds, traveling up to three miles!  that is a whole lot of hopping going on.  the call of the green frog is often described as “c’tunk,” or the plucking of a banjo string.  to hear the call of a green frog (so you can impress your friends the next time you are sipping wine in a bog) click here. (Courtesy of the herpetology department of Davidson College).  tomorrow i look forward to again seeing my princely amphibious friend…and if not, well, circle-of-life and all that, i suppose.