This is the Kautz "army" of last spring. A grouping of frogs is known as an "army" so I had sort of a small platoon at the time. Needless to say, my little soldiers have all moved on to other battles as I don't have any of these in the pond anymore. Frog and her sister were probably in this group, and they were sort of beastly together--shooing the others away from their territory.This photo was taken shortly after the Great Frog Disaster '08, when I found 5 dead frogs in the skimmer after a long winter. I'm not sure where I got 10 frogs or why I had so many, but we did and it was a freaking frog party in the pond that summer. That is why I kind of drew the line at 3 tadpoles the other day--it does get a bit crowded in those waters.
Most people don't know all this exciting stuff about frogs--see what you get here? And you don't even have to pay admission.
17 comments:
I sure hope that Frog and Other Frog didn't croak . . .
-- Chuck
Oh, and thanks for the no-cost education.
holy frogs!
I read your blog and get an education each time. I am with Chuck on this one. An army...who would have thought.
How does one tell a girl frog from a boy frog?
I meant it's easy with goats.....
I love the photo!
Yes, thank you for the edumacation.
To steal JD's words, Thank you for dealing with frogs, so I don't have to.
(I'm still upset by the deaths of my 2 tadpole pets in grade school.)
Not sure why, but I feel a little smarter today after reading this post!
Thanks for the free frog show. The five in the skimmer must have been a sad day....
Never thought of frogs as being militant. I'm picturing your little froggy in a helmet.
Chuck--So, how many frog jokes are left in your joke book?? Sheesh.
Stacie--And that would be why I'm not getting any more tadpoles.
Merry--Oh, wait--I haven't even started on Monarch butterflies. I raise those too.
Pricilla--The only way I know is that they don't croak. I don't think there is any other way--remember dissecting them in grade school?? You couldn't tell it was female until you opened it and it was loaded with eggs. I'm not opening anybody.
Lola--Tadpoles are tough to keep alive, so I shudder when folks try to raise them. They eat algae and lots of it, so unless you have a setting like a pond or something, your tadpole is a goner. Sad story, Lola--thanks for sharing.
AM--Oh this is NOTHING! There's lots of useless information right here on the 'ol Duck and Wheel, just stick around.
Casey--Yeah, it was sad for about 30 seconds and then the smell reached my nose. Then it was just disgusting!!! The worse part is that you really have to examine them to make sure they aren't just hibernating. Clue #1 of a dead frog--smell. Clue #2 -- their tongue is wayyyyyyy out--it is like 10 inches long or something ridiculous. It was very very icky. Sad goes away pretty fast when you are gagging. I was sad for days afterwards--it was like a frog holocaust--hence the name Great Frog Disaster '08.
Patricia--I'm not sure they are really an "army" per se--just a silly name for a group. Although they do gang up on each other to force the competition to move on. Oh, frogs can be cannibalistic too.
When my twin sis and I were little, we caught a frog and named him, Dig Em. He looked just like your army. Dig Em happily swam in his swimming pool/home that wasn't quite filled. In the heat of the sun, he must've gotten delirious and tanned too long. We found him roasted by the sun. Hope yours are just on vacation.
You've become my "go to" blog for all that is frog related.
I always learn something from your blog and now I know even more about frogs. Your frogs are so "pretty" - if frogs can be pretty. I just remember the toads that were always around when I was growing up in KS and they certainly weren't the least bit "pretty".
Chocolate--See? Frogs aren't so bright, are they?? I found a Flat Stanley in the garden last year. They hop away only to dry up like fools. Sigh. Nobody listens to me--not even the frogs.
Joe--So, I've got that going for me. Never let it be said that we aren't up on frog news here. Anything you need to know about frogs, Joe, ask away.
Beaded tail--There is beauty in just about anything, you just have to look for it. I love their eyes--they are iridescent around the rim. And they smile all the time like your Sadie!
Hopefully your new frog army will grow as big as the last. Maybe the last of the old frog army went off to conquer other ponds.
thanks, Lin, for answering all these questions that I didn't even know were bothering me all these years. An "army"? That sounds so dangerous to have in your backyard!
Ratty--I hope they found new water somewhere. I just hope I don't find Flat Stanley all dried up sometime in the future--ugh. We have a creek about 2 blocks away--so they may have gotten there--I hope so. But it will be a major "Frogger" situation with crossing a couple of streets to get there.
Margo--Just the word "army" keeps the riff raff away. So there are benefits to be had.
So... how did you draw the line?
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