"Gail Futoran" wrote

| This year I've seen more frogs, and toads, and more variety of frogs,
| in my ponds than in years past. They're pretty much everywhere.
| Little green frogs (which I finally identified but forgot their
| name!), Southern Leopard Frogs (they seem to especially like the
| above-ground stocktank ponds), and the usual Gulf Coast Toads.
| Haven't seen any tree frogs recently, but they've been around in other
| years.
|
| I wondered about the presence of Leopard Frogs in the ponds and the
| possibility they might eat my goldfish (which would help control the
| population, so I wouldn't complain), but so far I haven't noticed any
| lessening of the goldfish numbers.
|
| The Leopard Frogs have either gotten bolder or are more used to my
| presence. Earlier in the year they'd duck under the water if I walked
| by while they were up on a lily pad. Now, more often than not, they
| just sit there looking at me, like "Oh her, she's no threat."
|
| I've also lately heard a loud "groak!!" coming from my patio where
| there's a mess of shelves, small storage shed, boxes, etc. I wonder
| if there's a Bullfrog in there somewhere (I've seen them around some
| years) either trapped or has found a place to escape the heat of the
| day.

I'm trying to cultivate frogs here, especially the tree frogs that we call
"peepers", because they drown out the sound of the neighborhood dogs
barking. I'm having some success even without a pond, because I have a
kiddie pool for them, and it is filled with tiny green tadpoles that are
losing their tails and growing tiny legs!

I wish there was a loud frog that would sing during the day, to drown out
the sound of all the freakin' gas lawnmowers. If it's not one neighbor
obsessively mowing down to half an inch and killing all the animal life in
the lawn, it's another, every day of the week, all day long. Unfortunately
the frogs couldn't drown out the horrid exhaust odor. Gas mowers put out way
more pollution than cars, and their rotary blades are hell on the poor
grass. That's why I use a cordless electric reel mower, but even with that I
am always wary of harming a snake or something so I go slow and leave it set
on 3.5".