My Amphibious Friends

Ok - the frog farming is over. All the taddies went back into the pond as froglets to fend for themselves. Nature is so cruel. I know there is a snake that visits the pond and I know that the herons pay visits and I do have koi. My only hope is that more of them have a chance to survive now than they would have if I left the eggs in the pond. Since the release, I have seen 6, on different occasions. They were still so tiny that it makes me wonder if the spawn I raised was really red-legged brown frogs or the pacific northwest tree frog. Like this little guy:

He's a regular visitor this past week. Every so cute. I'd like to think he is one of mine. The Pacific tree frog grows only about 2 inches. The males are smaller than the females and have a dark patch on their throats. The dark patch is the vocal sac, which stretches out when the male is calling. They are one of the noisiest little frogs, and are also known as chorus frogs. Pacific tree frogs can be a number of different colors, including green, tan, red, brown, cream, and black, but most are a shade of green or brown, with pale or white bellies. They have a black eye stripe that stretches from the nose, across the eye, and back to the shoulder. They can change color to better match their environments. I witnessed this when I found a tiny brown one in my kitchen sink one morning, and when I released him outside he turned green. Very cool. Their skin is covered in tiny bumps that you can hardly notice. On the end of each toe is a round, sticky toe pad used for climbing and sticking to surfaces. I can watch this little guy for ages. He is just too cute!!