'Round here they are called toad frogs. Don't know 'bout other places.
I've had a whole colony take up on the premises. They particularly like the
garage and driveway because the lights are often on announcing it's time for
dinner. Last week I'd been out late dining out in town and had to park the
car outside and herd them out of the way before I could put the car in the
garage. I counted sixteen in the garage that night. I think they may be
the same bunch that showed up last year as scrawny, quarter to fifty cent
size specimans that fattened up over the summer. This spring when they
emerged after winter they were scrawny, but much larger than a fifty cent
pieces. They've spent the time since gaining a considerable amount of
weight dining on what the lights attract. I went out to take a photo of the
top one because he/she had scratched into the gravel of the driveway and
really gave all the appearance of being a stone. The dogs were too excited
about my presence and stepped on him/her, so I didn't manage the photo I was
wanting. The second is one in the garage showing the insect fertilize they
contribute every night. It fascinates me to watch them. They can devour a
June bug in less than a second. You only know they've consumed smaller
insects because they blink their eyes and the throat moves. They're too
fast to see anything else. During the day there are often as many as 4-5
lounging in the pan the dogs have for drinking water and that I use for
putting seedling pots in to soak up water. Seem to think it's their private
swimming pool. I can't leave the pots to soak up moisture. I have to stand
guard because they have no compunction at all about getting in the pot and
burying up in the top 2-3 inches. Not really good for small iris seedlings
so I stand ready to take them out before they and uproot what's in the pot.
Still, I can't imagine how many insects they must be consuming to produce
the amount of fertilize they leave in the garage. Maybe I'm just easily
impressed.
Donald Eaves
donald@eastland.net
Texas Zone 7b, USA
