Frogs & Toads

The boys have anxiously been awaiting the return of the frogs to the creek.

We have gone searching a few times over the last two weeks with no luck. Today we went further upstream in hopes of finding something other than water striders.

There is a spring that feeds into the creek where the boys found a few cricket frogs in the grass, but they hopped away before being caught. We decided to cross the water and look along the other bank. As I was just about to cross Will shouted, "I found one! I found a big frog."

Once I spotted the "big frog" hidden among the mud and algae, I threw a net on top. Upon scooping up the net, I realized it was actually two toads.

Then I noticed the long strands of eggs attached to the net. We immediately returned the eggs to the water, but we observed the toads in the "bug box" for a bit. When Will put the toads back into the creek, they swam away together never missing a beat.

I find it ironic that Will is the one who found these well-camouflaged toads. He is my child who is usually running ahead of me - seemingly racing through life, yet somehow he has the ability to spot critters hiding in the creek.