The Tadpole Project: Tree Frog Eggs

 

 After a rainy night in the first week of July, I was delighted to find a moire of amphibian eggs spread across the surface of our little 200-gallon fishpond in the back yard. This was a first for me. I'd seen American toad eggs in their long spiral jellystrings.  Though I wasn't sure I'd seen their eggs, I knew that green frogs had bred in the pond.  Three adorable little green frog babes in the pond this year attest to that. But these eggs were different, making a carpet of fresh black zygotes across the leaves of my floating heart plant.

 

Of course, I had my suspicions as to who'd laid them. What amphibian breeds in July after a heavy rain?

Why, the gray tree frog does that. Maybe you've heard its birdlike call, a rolling, hollow and very loud trill, BRRRRRRP! coming from up in the trees in the evening woods in midsummer. It's a true tree frog, with big sticky Velcrolike pads on its toes, impressive jumping skilz, and even madder clinging skilz. It's a Spiderman among frogs.

The gray tree frog is one of those creatures that I feel lucky to know, lucky to have in my backyard fauna. It's a big, hearty creature, cool and sticky, tame and winsome; in color downright licheny. This little fellow was trapped in a fold of plastic on a little country greenhouse (Pleasant Valley Greenhouse) where I love to stop and buy nice plants. He didn't think he was trapped; there was a nice puddle of rainwater in there, but I was afraid he'd cook when the sun came out so the proprietor and I climbed up on a table and got him down.

 And put him on a licheny branch where he'd blend in and be happier.  Well, he felt so comfortable he pinched a big gray tree frog loaf, right there in front of me and everybody. Enh! Enh!

After Chet was wrongly implicated a few times for dropping stray bits on the sidewalk, I've taught my family to recognize toad turds as well as copperhead and rat snake turds. This, my friends, is a gray tree frog turd. Much larger than you'd imagine he could make, about 3/4" long!  Why,  I stepped over an American toad turd on the sidewalk this morning. Solid black, no dab of white like a rat snake's has.  And big. Look for them. Or don't. Whatever floats your boat.

 

Thus ends my dissertation on toad turds. All good things must end. Ooh, creeper in the treefrog photo!

So imagine my excitement when I found those eggs in the pond. Let's make more tree frogs, shall we? The Tadpole Project continues...