The tree frogs in the back yard are DEAFENING. Wow, what a crop this year! When I first heard them, just a few years ago, I thought they were some kind of mega-voiced insect. But as they grew more vocal, I thought no way could a single bug make that much sound.
A couple of years ago, I happened to be talking with a herpetologist who asked me to make the sound (which I only barely can, a super-fast high-pitched warble), and he declared it a tree frog. Apparently, they can go through their entire egg-tadpole-legged life cycle in 24 hours, given nice deep rain puddles. Viola! Frogs inland from water, like charming, noisy mosquitoes. They might wake me, but I much prefer them to their winged counterparts.
Chris
A couple of years ago, I happened to be talking with a herpetologist who asked me to make the sound (which I only barely can, a super-fast high-pitched warble), and he declared it a tree frog. Apparently, they can go through their entire egg-tadpole-legged life cycle in 24 hours, given nice deep rain puddles. Viola! Frogs inland from water, like charming, noisy mosquitoes. They might wake me, but I much prefer them to their winged counterparts.
Chris
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But I'd prefer them to mosquitoes any day of the week!
I think it was Richard Brautigan in a Confederate General in Big Sur who, with a friend, figured out that shouting "Campbell's Soup," at the noisy frogs quieted them for the longest time. Sort of. Or I could be making that up.
I like the pretty noisy creatures.
Anon
I'll try Campbell's Soup next time I have a cookout and they're drowning out the conversation.
(I like them too.)
When I lived in the country, the peeper frogs were one of my favorite noises (believe it or not, I also like cicadas). I miss toads the most, though. They're my absolute favorite herps. Every time I see one, I swoop it up and give it a kiss.
Toads are so pitiful and cute! When I lived in an ancient house in Wisconsin, I was cleaning up the basement one day. The sandstone walls had shed drifts of sand onto the floor over the decades, and when I shoveled up one portion, I found a pair of toads hibernating on the bottom. How long had they been there? Years? Generations? They were dessicated but, after dropping them into the damp side of a terrarium (a shallow aquarium, really), they plumped up and started swimming!
Whoah. Cool beans. I kept them for years until I moved away, releasing them into the wild to live for perhaps another 100 years.
When I was in HS I had all kinds of pets that I released in the fall... snakes, turtles, skinks, etc. The salamanders were the best - they were incredibly mellow and didn't mind being held. I had baby skunks once, and a baby raccoon (man, bottle feeding every 2 hours sucks). Ohhhh n o s t a l g i a!
mmmmmmm, DINNER!oh, the froggie is so cute! I really love frogs...used to catch 'em when I was a tyke.