Look what I found today!

[Dontworrybeappy]

I was re-planting a ti plant and found this!

This is a full-grown Western Spadefoot toad... they generally spend most of their time underground... so I don't see them often. The tadpoles are the same size as our Pacific Chorus frogs, so it's hard to know which is which at that stage. (We're a certified backyard habitat... we concentrate on frog habitat)

he's a bit "poofed up" - frog-speak for "c'mon, lady, let me go dig a new hole!"

The little black spots on his hind feet are the "spades" - they're like little fingernails and helps them dig up to 40" deep! These are little 2" or less toads!

This is one of my outdoor babies - about a half-grown Pacific Chorus Frog (we have these by the hundreds and hundreds, they sing to me every night!)

 

[Sterling]

Oh thank you for sharing that educational nature study! I think that Spadefoot toad is very neat looking! We enjoy our pond and the wildlif it brings to us too. We usually get plenty of toads out especially at night where you have to watch you don't step on them as you walk. Also coming to our pond is the Leopard Frog...very colorful and neat looking. Unfortunately with all the Gypsy Moth spraying they did this year, I have not heard our night peepers, nor have I seen any Leopard frogs....I keep saying it has to do with the Bt they sprayed with. Also the crickets are almost non-exsistant.

 

[HGFarm]

Ew, do you have warts now? LOL

Cute little guy! Great clear pics too!

 

[River1018]

Pretty interesting!!

Nice photo quality too! What camera did you use?

 

[runamuk]

Cool.......two endangered species.......love that toad. We hear the Pacific chorus tree frogs in the early spring but they have become very scarce up here any more.

Ok so how did you become a certified "frogitat" :bgrin I am really curious.

 

[White Socks Miniature]

OMG those are soooo cute!!!

How interesting! you learn something new everyday!

Masako

 

[SilverDollar]

Thanks for sharing! He's a cutie. We don't see frogs around here anymore. It's too bad because I love to hear them sing at night.

 

[Mona]

:new_shocked: WOW,you sure got some good, clear shots of those little guys!

 

[Soggy Bottom Ranch]

Cute........and very interesting too.

The neighber right next to us has a pond, and every night you can hear about a million frogs over there! They get so loud some nights that I can hear them over the sound from our tv. Sounds like country living, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

A couple years ago, about a year after we put in our water garden, the froggies kept moving in to my little pond. They were making such a mess, and made so much noise, we decided to move them back to their natural habitat. Armed with a goldfish net, and a 5 gallon bucket, we took out 80 little frogs from my pond, and brought them back home! You should have seen it, it was like a frog parade! After that, they never came back.

 

[JO~*]

Wow great pictures. That is the cutist frog

:

What kind of camera did you use?

I try to get small wildlife to come to my garden and it seems like this year their is not as many of a whole lot of things.

 

[ChrystalPaths]

Is there anything more comforting than listening to the frog songs in the twilight of a long day! Handsome guys!

 

[rabbitsfizz]

So.....did you kiss him???????

:

 

[Buckskin gal]

Thanks for sharing...so interesting and how very lucky you are to have such neat little creatures. I enjoy all the lttle creatures ou pond brings in too.Mary

 

[Cara]

wow very interesting, thanks for shareing

:

 

[Dontworrybeappy]

My camera is a Canon EOS Rebel XTI - it's a pretty cool DSLR camera, even Johnny Johnston likes it!

Becoming a certified backyard habitat is pretty fun, it's a program of the National Wildlife Federation...Backyard Habitats

We just make a point of making sure we have froggy habitats all around to take care of our froggy friends!