Loved this post as it reminded me that we too, had a bull frog in our subspace in our house in Wittman! Maybe the word (" barrump") had gotten out that these damp , slightly cool spaces made for a great refuge! We could only hear "her" in the quiet of early morning or at dusk as the night was often filled the owls or the DANG whipoorwill!
Frog fist bumps, Susan! There must be a few that want to get away from the chaos of marsh life. 😅 So glad to find we share one more Eastern Shore experience in common.
I love that your night sounds included a whippoorwill. I've never had the pleasure and would be elated, though admittedly, I'd have trouble sleeping through it. I understand that they are a species in decline. Wish I could do more to change that!
The first night I heard the whipoorwill, I was charmed. A little less so the next night as he called from dusk until dawn! The third night I wanted to rip out my hair ! The fourth night I heard him deep in the woods as he moved on seeking his lady-love! Phew and good luck, buddy!
I can definitely understand the relief! I have a new fascination with whippoorwills, thanks to this exchange. Who knows, maybe an essay for the future!
Our peeper season is long gone, but how I love their sounds! You've made me want to be more attentive about meadowlarks. As common as they are here (according to bird maps), I can't say I've ever seen - or heard! - one. I must not be paying close enough attention. I now declare this the summer to spot that pretty plumage! 😅 Thanks, Switter.
We're all ears (and eyes) here! Per my exchange with Switter, above, I'm on a mission to notice meadowlarks! Thanks for chiming in, Teresa, and for coming along for my perspective rides.
Your story about the bull frog put a big smile on my face. It's so true how we anthropomorphize nearly every being which we encounter. Although, that is very human-centric which is not always a good thing, it does help us to care for the other beings in our environment. That's a good thing, I believe.
Love these thoughts, Ann. If you've not already, I'd recommend reading The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl. Delightful and inspiring, she mentions more than once her efforts to NOT anthropomorphize the animals she encounters. As you note, it's a good thing if it makes us more attentive or compassionate, but in the case, say, of a less attractive species, or one that we deem to be a nuisance (maybe you read my piece about pigeons a few months back?) it could work in the opposite way.
So good to see you here. Thanks for joining the conversation.
Ha! Thanks, Kimmy. Somewhere along the way, I edited out the word "leap," but I think I might need to put it back in, for your sake. 😅 Thanks for the restack!
I never knew until now that frogs could be an invasive species, known to do damage. I just thought they were there to, I don't know...croak? I've always welcomed them, and I've always loved seeing tadpoles, dozens and dozens of them, thinking they'll someday grow up to be frogs. And so what? They're frogs. I've never once been attacked by a frog--or even threatened.
The sounds of peepers in the spring have delighted me for ages. If there was any creature I thought might be innocuous and kind of cute in an ugly sort of way, it was a frog. So this was a lesson, for sure, but the story of your acceptance and protection of this particular frog (or maybe an imposter) tells me all I need to know about why we're friends! 🐸❤️
Aww, thank you, Mona. I could feel myself smiling as I read this. Here on the east coast, where the spotted lanternfly has arrived to threaten orchards and other agricultural crops, there are university-led educational campaigns that direct us to squish them. I get that they have a negative economic impact, but I can't imagine a citizen smashing effort making much difference. Meanwhile, we're training people to kill stuff. Nice.
Anyhooooo...I guess very few things are truly innocuous, least of all humans! But I sure am glad to have you as a friend. 🩷
What a beautiful love story.... Betsy.... When I read or listen to your writings, I always am led to think of a contemporary comparison... I was reading right along when I came upon your shared words like eradicate and decimate and eliminate...Hmmmm... Sadly, these words have been used toward one another too many times...... I believe there's a better way to find how we too, can "hop" through life together...
I believe that too, Barry. And I believe we show our capacity for that more often than is captured in our social media feeds and news stories. Some of us (🐸) are determined to make sure that the good news stories also get out!
Thank you, Rita. I really appreciate the idea of it being our responsibility to find out how they can be useful. (The NPR interview I linked offers a bit more on this concept.) That feels like a form of management we could implement.
Your words made me think of people, not plants. Of what it means to be native to a place, and what we do about those (so many of us in the US) whose people have been in a place so long that we feel native, even if we aren't. Does it matter? How does it matter? What is means to be foreign, invasive. Back to plants, I've been trying to plant more things that are considered native to our area--thinking I'd be more likely to have success with them--but as the climate continues to change that feels like a strategy that might need to change, too. Rhododendrons used to be a sure bet for our area, but in the past few years I've watched them struggle in our yard. (There's some grief in that. Quite a bit, actually.) I've been reaching more and more for those that are drought tolerant, regardless of whether they are "native" or not.
The more I think and write, the less useful "native" and "invasive" seem as concepts for either plants or people. We're all here on the same earth, right? 🌎
I don't know this to be true, but I suspect language comes along for the ride as we awareness increases and change is no longer optional. Then again, we still tell people to "sleep tight: and "mind their ps and qs," so maybe not.
I'm sorry you're having difficulties with your plantings. For what it's worth, I've made similar choices for my area and have failed miserably with some of them. I attributed it to my soil and sun exposure more than to climate, but I'm sure both are true.
Another amazing partner called Jim. Two other Substackers - Rebecca and Mary have wonderful hubbies called Jim. Lovely, grounded gents, just like yours. Cool story and a nice way to look at ‘invasive species’. Hugs from afar.
Beth, the first part of your comment made me giggle. I once found a mass-produced birthday card with "Happy Birthday, Jim!" on the front. Inside it said something like "Do you feel special knowing that your name is common enough to be printed on this card?" 😅 My husband's business partner is ALSO Jim. But I'm glad to be married to the one I got.
Thanks for reading and appreciating. It appears that Australia is much smarter about regulating what comes in and out that might be detrimental. Perhaps lessons learned from the rabbits...and the cane toads...? Ack!
Reading through the comments, I am aware that I am such the outlier! I’m shocked (and maybe a bit terrified) to learn about their eating capacity. I can’t help but think you should be glad your frog seems to be a loner frog and you didn’t wind up with twenty thousand frogs under the house in any of those years! Its winter tunes feel a bit melancholy, but I am glad it found a safe space there.
On the other hand, it is notable (and fascinating) how animals find you all, stick around, and return.
Ha, Amy! That we've never had 20K tadpoles maturing into a noisy chorus of adult frogs under our house is, indeed, something to be grateful for. In terms of frogs as food, well, I've only ever tried it once, at a restaurant, fried--as is customary. People say it tastes like chicken, and they're right, although I'm not sure fried chicken tastes like chicken. 😂
Thank you for noticing that animals appear to gravitate to us, or at least to our spaces. Maybe it's the welcoming energy, the lack of a carefully maintained yard, or just luck, but I'm sure it's obvious how happy I am that they do.
I was more surprised about how much frogs CAN eat. I am not much of a meat eater, but I grew up in a frog legs environment. Ick. I think it's wonderful to know somehow you emit such energy and welcome.
I totally misinterpreted "eating capacity." LOL! They are definitely overachievers in that way. Someday, you'll have to tell me more about your frog legs environment. ☺️
Love, love this piece. And your bullfrog is adorable. Thank you for sharing this story. Thank you for befriending the world’s creatures. Thank you for seeking and sharing fresh perspectives!
Gah! Isn't she so cute!!? And yes, she. I'm no expert, but from what I know, the size of the ear patch is a gender identifier.
Above, Amy suggested the idea of a potential hatch-out under the house, a thought that had not occurred to me until now. I suspect I'd have a very different "relationship" with them, were that to take place. Introvert that I am, I'm better with friendships that come in small groups. ☺️
I suspect earrings like mine are not hard to find 'out there' in the world, though they might not have the years-old patina that mine have.
Appreciate you, Holly, and thank you for the restack!
Yes, those bullfrogs! My giant one that died, I'm hoping of old age, we did not want to bury or drop off in a swamp. Therefore, we pickled H.W. Longfellow ( ahh the silliness of children's nicknames, but it fits and I haven't thought of it for 65 years!!)
He sat in a very large, two-gallon pickle jar on the mantle for years, in vinegar!
Omigosh, Jill, I did not see a pickled bullfrog coming! 😂 I can see the scientific advantage of that, and maybe a touch of sentiment (if I squint at it from a distance - ha!) but I would not have wanted to be the one to empty the jar when the time came.
Thanks for sharing your most memorable frog story!
What am amazing plethora of responses you got! There are so many aspects of your story that people respond to. My biology teacher in college - Skip Blanchard, I'll never forget him - told us when we were working on our herbariums: "There's not really such a thing as a 'weed.' Think of it as a wildflower that isn't where we want it to be."
It’s all about our perspective, isn’t it? Although I must admit I’ve had “you are not my friend” thoughts about more than one species of misplaced wildflower in my day! Thanks for sharing that wisdom, Stewart!
Love that frog! It's resilience and even its loyalty.
There's something wonderful after the rains on our farm when the dams are full of frog song. The frogs may have hibernated deep in the soil through the heat but then pouf! Rain and before long, frog song - a trick of nature.
Yes, Australia's cane toads are terrible monsters and hopefully can be controlled by biological means. As to rabbits - we are experiencing a plague at the moment because of the Big Dry (they reproduce alarmingly when threatened by seasonal dries) and so state governments are releasing Calicivirus as a notional biological control.
But then there are the wallabies - plague runs of them.
Your conclusion, Prue, is what gives me the greatest cause for pause. We bring these situations on ourselves -- and yes, many of the ones we currently struggle against were established when maybe we didn't know what we do now. But I feel like we keep making the same mistakes. In agriculture, with the hope of reducing synthetic nitrogen, there have been recent introductions of products containing engineered nitrogen-producing microbes. As I understand it, the organisms have been modified to eliminate their "off switch," so they keep producing nitrogen when in their natural state they would no longer need to do so. The manufacturers are confident that these microbes will not persist in the soil and therefore do not pose a longterm threat. I'm skeptical, to say the least.
Loved this post as it reminded me that we too, had a bull frog in our subspace in our house in Wittman! Maybe the word (" barrump") had gotten out that these damp , slightly cool spaces made for a great refuge! We could only hear "her" in the quiet of early morning or at dusk as the night was often filled the owls or the DANG whipoorwill!
Frog fist bumps, Susan! There must be a few that want to get away from the chaos of marsh life. 😅 So glad to find we share one more Eastern Shore experience in common.
I love that your night sounds included a whippoorwill. I've never had the pleasure and would be elated, though admittedly, I'd have trouble sleeping through it. I understand that they are a species in decline. Wish I could do more to change that!
The first night I heard the whipoorwill, I was charmed. A little less so the next night as he called from dusk until dawn! The third night I wanted to rip out my hair ! The fourth night I heard him deep in the woods as he moved on seeking his lady-love! Phew and good luck, buddy!
I can definitely understand the relief! I have a new fascination with whippoorwills, thanks to this exchange. Who knows, maybe an essay for the future!
😊
Love in the time of spring peepers!
The little frog pond up the road just came alive and all’s right in the world. Now for the first meadowlark.
Our peeper season is long gone, but how I love their sounds! You've made me want to be more attentive about meadowlarks. As common as they are here (according to bird maps), I can't say I've ever seen - or heard! - one. I must not be paying close enough attention. I now declare this the summer to spot that pretty plumage! 😅 Thanks, Switter.
The eastern meadowlarks have a different song and look slightly different. Google “western meadowlark song” and enjoy.
Keep listening to nature! And your husband’s spring cleaning?! He is definitely a keeper. Thanks for always providing an interesting perspective.
We're all ears (and eyes) here! Per my exchange with Switter, above, I'm on a mission to notice meadowlarks! Thanks for chiming in, Teresa, and for coming along for my perspective rides.
Elizabeth,
Your story about the bull frog put a big smile on my face. It's so true how we anthropomorphize nearly every being which we encounter. Although, that is very human-centric which is not always a good thing, it does help us to care for the other beings in our environment. That's a good thing, I believe.
Love these thoughts, Ann. If you've not already, I'd recommend reading The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl. Delightful and inspiring, she mentions more than once her efforts to NOT anthropomorphize the animals she encounters. As you note, it's a good thing if it makes us more attentive or compassionate, but in the case, say, of a less attractive species, or one that we deem to be a nuisance (maybe you read my piece about pigeons a few months back?) it could work in the opposite way.
So good to see you here. Thanks for joining the conversation.
LOVED the puns!!
Ha! Thanks, Kimmy. Somewhere along the way, I edited out the word "leap," but I think I might need to put it back in, for your sake. 😅 Thanks for the restack!
I never knew until now that frogs could be an invasive species, known to do damage. I just thought they were there to, I don't know...croak? I've always welcomed them, and I've always loved seeing tadpoles, dozens and dozens of them, thinking they'll someday grow up to be frogs. And so what? They're frogs. I've never once been attacked by a frog--or even threatened.
The sounds of peepers in the spring have delighted me for ages. If there was any creature I thought might be innocuous and kind of cute in an ugly sort of way, it was a frog. So this was a lesson, for sure, but the story of your acceptance and protection of this particular frog (or maybe an imposter) tells me all I need to know about why we're friends! 🐸❤️
Aww, thank you, Mona. I could feel myself smiling as I read this. Here on the east coast, where the spotted lanternfly has arrived to threaten orchards and other agricultural crops, there are university-led educational campaigns that direct us to squish them. I get that they have a negative economic impact, but I can't imagine a citizen smashing effort making much difference. Meanwhile, we're training people to kill stuff. Nice.
Anyhooooo...I guess very few things are truly innocuous, least of all humans! But I sure am glad to have you as a friend. 🩷
What a beautiful love story.... Betsy.... When I read or listen to your writings, I always am led to think of a contemporary comparison... I was reading right along when I came upon your shared words like eradicate and decimate and eliminate...Hmmmm... Sadly, these words have been used toward one another too many times...... I believe there's a better way to find how we too, can "hop" through life together...
I believe that too, Barry. And I believe we show our capacity for that more often than is captured in our social media feeds and news stories. Some of us (🐸) are determined to make sure that the good news stories also get out!
Happy Earth Day! Thanks for the story. We look every day for the return of a couple of frogs in a drainage area near us. No sightings yet.
Thanks, Suzanne. Ditch frogs are a delight! Hope the recent warm spell brings them back into action in your neck of the woods.
It's not that easy bein' green
Having to spend each day
The color of the leaves
When I think it could be nicer
Bein' red or yellow or gold
Or something much more colorful like that
It's not easy bein' green
It seems you blend in
With so many other ordinary things
And people tend to pass you over
'Cause you're not standing out
Like flashy sparkles in the water
Or stars in the sky
But green's the color of spring
And green can be cool and friendly like
And green can be big like an ocean
Or important like a mountain
Or tall like a tree
When green is all there is to be
It could make you wonder why
But, why wonder? Why wonder?
I'm green and it'll do fine
It's beautiful, and I think it's what I want to be
Kermit was (is) the best teacher. I can hear his little voice (thank you Jim Henson) now as I remember this song. Thanks for sharing!
Really appreciate the idea to rethink what "invasive" means, especially now. And I love those earrings!
Thank you, Rita. I really appreciate the idea of it being our responsibility to find out how they can be useful. (The NPR interview I linked offers a bit more on this concept.) That feels like a form of management we could implement.
The earrings for sure make me smile. 🌎 So do you!
Your words made me think of people, not plants. Of what it means to be native to a place, and what we do about those (so many of us in the US) whose people have been in a place so long that we feel native, even if we aren't. Does it matter? How does it matter? What is means to be foreign, invasive. Back to plants, I've been trying to plant more things that are considered native to our area--thinking I'd be more likely to have success with them--but as the climate continues to change that feels like a strategy that might need to change, too. Rhododendrons used to be a sure bet for our area, but in the past few years I've watched them struggle in our yard. (There's some grief in that. Quite a bit, actually.) I've been reaching more and more for those that are drought tolerant, regardless of whether they are "native" or not.
The more I think and write, the less useful "native" and "invasive" seem as concepts for either plants or people. We're all here on the same earth, right? 🌎
I don't know this to be true, but I suspect language comes along for the ride as we awareness increases and change is no longer optional. Then again, we still tell people to "sleep tight: and "mind their ps and qs," so maybe not.
I'm sorry you're having difficulties with your plantings. For what it's worth, I've made similar choices for my area and have failed miserably with some of them. I attributed it to my soil and sun exposure more than to climate, but I'm sure both are true.
Same earth. And inextricably linked. 💚
Another amazing partner called Jim. Two other Substackers - Rebecca and Mary have wonderful hubbies called Jim. Lovely, grounded gents, just like yours. Cool story and a nice way to look at ‘invasive species’. Hugs from afar.
Beth, the first part of your comment made me giggle. I once found a mass-produced birthday card with "Happy Birthday, Jim!" on the front. Inside it said something like "Do you feel special knowing that your name is common enough to be printed on this card?" 😅 My husband's business partner is ALSO Jim. But I'm glad to be married to the one I got.
Thanks for reading and appreciating. It appears that Australia is much smarter about regulating what comes in and out that might be detrimental. Perhaps lessons learned from the rabbits...and the cane toads...? Ack!
Our 250 years of colonialism coupled with our remoteness … rabbits, foxes, but particularly those daft cane toads. And yay to all Jims.
Reading through the comments, I am aware that I am such the outlier! I’m shocked (and maybe a bit terrified) to learn about their eating capacity. I can’t help but think you should be glad your frog seems to be a loner frog and you didn’t wind up with twenty thousand frogs under the house in any of those years! Its winter tunes feel a bit melancholy, but I am glad it found a safe space there.
On the other hand, it is notable (and fascinating) how animals find you all, stick around, and return.
Ha, Amy! That we've never had 20K tadpoles maturing into a noisy chorus of adult frogs under our house is, indeed, something to be grateful for. In terms of frogs as food, well, I've only ever tried it once, at a restaurant, fried--as is customary. People say it tastes like chicken, and they're right, although I'm not sure fried chicken tastes like chicken. 😂
Thank you for noticing that animals appear to gravitate to us, or at least to our spaces. Maybe it's the welcoming energy, the lack of a carefully maintained yard, or just luck, but I'm sure it's obvious how happy I am that they do.
I was more surprised about how much frogs CAN eat. I am not much of a meat eater, but I grew up in a frog legs environment. Ick. I think it's wonderful to know somehow you emit such energy and welcome.
I totally misinterpreted "eating capacity." LOL! They are definitely overachievers in that way. Someday, you'll have to tell me more about your frog legs environment. ☺️
Love, love this piece. And your bullfrog is adorable. Thank you for sharing this story. Thank you for befriending the world’s creatures. Thank you for seeking and sharing fresh perspectives!
PS. Those earrings are great!
💕
Gah! Isn't she so cute!!? And yes, she. I'm no expert, but from what I know, the size of the ear patch is a gender identifier.
Above, Amy suggested the idea of a potential hatch-out under the house, a thought that had not occurred to me until now. I suspect I'd have a very different "relationship" with them, were that to take place. Introvert that I am, I'm better with friendships that come in small groups. ☺️
I suspect earrings like mine are not hard to find 'out there' in the world, though they might not have the years-old patina that mine have.
Appreciate you, Holly, and thank you for the restack!
Oh!!! Keep us posted if there is a hatch-out (great term). Had not thought of that either. 😬😜
Yes, those bullfrogs! My giant one that died, I'm hoping of old age, we did not want to bury or drop off in a swamp. Therefore, we pickled H.W. Longfellow ( ahh the silliness of children's nicknames, but it fits and I haven't thought of it for 65 years!!)
He sat in a very large, two-gallon pickle jar on the mantle for years, in vinegar!
Omigosh, Jill, I did not see a pickled bullfrog coming! 😂 I can see the scientific advantage of that, and maybe a touch of sentiment (if I squint at it from a distance - ha!) but I would not have wanted to be the one to empty the jar when the time came.
Thanks for sharing your most memorable frog story!
I don’t actually know what happened to Henry W. Longfellow so long pickled to perfection, but fading into a bit more gray than green
Long-pickled Longfellow!
You are a Hilarious Wadsworth Longfellow commentator!!
What am amazing plethora of responses you got! There are so many aspects of your story that people respond to. My biology teacher in college - Skip Blanchard, I'll never forget him - told us when we were working on our herbariums: "There's not really such a thing as a 'weed.' Think of it as a wildflower that isn't where we want it to be."
It’s all about our perspective, isn’t it? Although I must admit I’ve had “you are not my friend” thoughts about more than one species of misplaced wildflower in my day! Thanks for sharing that wisdom, Stewart!
Love that frog! It's resilience and even its loyalty.
There's something wonderful after the rains on our farm when the dams are full of frog song. The frogs may have hibernated deep in the soil through the heat but then pouf! Rain and before long, frog song - a trick of nature.
Yes, Australia's cane toads are terrible monsters and hopefully can be controlled by biological means. As to rabbits - we are experiencing a plague at the moment because of the Big Dry (they reproduce alarmingly when threatened by seasonal dries) and so state governments are releasing Calicivirus as a notional biological control.
But then there are the wallabies - plague runs of them.
And the feral cats.
The feral deer.
The gorse, the sparrows...
It just goes on and on and all thanks to humans.
Your conclusion, Prue, is what gives me the greatest cause for pause. We bring these situations on ourselves -- and yes, many of the ones we currently struggle against were established when maybe we didn't know what we do now. But I feel like we keep making the same mistakes. In agriculture, with the hope of reducing synthetic nitrogen, there have been recent introductions of products containing engineered nitrogen-producing microbes. As I understand it, the organisms have been modified to eliminate their "off switch," so they keep producing nitrogen when in their natural state they would no longer need to do so. The manufacturers are confident that these microbes will not persist in the soil and therefore do not pose a longterm threat. I'm skeptical, to say the least.