--- In iris-photos@yahoogroups.com, "Donald Eaves" <donald@...> wrote:
I've got those guys too. I think they like my gardening policies...
lots of nice shady ground cover and no pesticides.
I kept "chasing" one individual around my seedling beds this year. It
went something like this.
"Oh, excuse me, I didn't know you were visiting today. I'll just get
out of your way."
...
"What? You want to look at these too? I'm so sorry. I beg your
pardon."
...
"Wait a minute. Didn't you already look at these?"
...
"Oh, for crying out loud, would you just pick a bed already?"
<vbg>
Christian
> '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@...
> Texas Zone 7b, USA
>
