Thursday, April 09, 2009

Save the Frogs Day April 28th

You may have noticed a new icon in my sidebar for "Save the Frogs Day" on April 28th. I stumbled upon this website, and I'm very glad I did! I'd always known that amphibians (or the lack thereof) can tell a lot about the health of an ecosystem. Since I went off pesticides, my yard has reflected the difference.........this fine friend is a Mink Frog and has been a species demonstrating sensitivity to environmental changes with various deformities. Luckily this one looks fine!
This is a Wood Frog, one of my favorites as a child (we had them in Indiana, too).



I'm pretty sure this is a Gray Tree Frog , looking green and calling out to a friend.......who's apparently listening!They can display an amazing array of colors, this guy was very near a white yard light.......but is this the same frog? The face looks like it, but the pattern is different.Whoever this is, he's wishing for a parachute!


The point of this post is just to remind everyone how much froggies contribute to our gardens, from catching bugs....

....to just hanging around...

...looking cute!


They sure add a lot of fun to my water gardens...

...and to the damp places under logs. Wait a minute! How did this Blue-Spotted Salamander get in here? No matter, he is an amphibian as well (just as cute too, IMO :)

I would really miss these creatures if our polluting ways causes them to become extinct...


...and I hope more folks are concerned enough to get involved.

Just look at my "night watchman" here-how can I get along without him?


It's an unfortunate fact that frogs and amphibians are disappearing, and we need to do all we can to stop this! Per the website: "...only a small proportion of our public is aware that frogs are disappearing, and that amphibian conservation efforts will not be successful until amphibian declines are common knowledge: think of how long it has taken for any political action on global warming to occur! Politicians rarely act until the public demands action. Our goal is to make the amphibian extinction crisis common knowledge by 2010: help make it happen!"


My buddies already have to seek out "alternative housing"! ;-)


But when my grass gets longer in mid-summer, they appear instantly with nearly every step I take...


...and relax amongst the tall fern fronds...



...or anywhere they can!


Whether by day...


...or by night, I want to keep these adorable creatures around! If conservation efforts aren't sucessful...

...then camo won't be necessary to hide our froggies-you just won't see them!


Please help Save the Frogs! Submitted to Friday Ark.

17 comments:

WiseAcre said...

Great set of frog pics. They're not out here yet and I can't wait.

Ever see a frog without a smile on its face?

Going back home now to put up a link on my sidebar. Thanks for the heads up.

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

Hi Lisa, it's so cool to see the frogs I normally only hear. I've done a frog and toad survey for my area for five years now; I love hearing the frogs call. Search for "frog" on my blog! We do have the mink frog way in northern Michigan, but I've never seen or heard it here. Hooray for frogs!

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful post! Thank you for the link and for writing about the plight of frogs.
20 yrs. ago when we first moved onto our property, it was devoid of frogs. It had been farmed and ranched and sprayed with chemicals, but today, it's a little froggie heaven, along with countless other critters that make their home here. Like you, I'm 100%organic and I leave lots of wild, tall grass spaces.
I also leave shallow trays of water in my flower beds, nestled among the flowers and shrubs, and never fail to surprise a frog in the late evening, rehydrating. I thinks it's safer for them, since we have snakes who visit the ponds! Thanks again, Lisa!
Frogs rock. :)
v.

Aunt Debbi/kurts mom said...

still cracking up about a frog needing a parachute. Great post.
SAVE THE FROGS. Seriously

Barbee' said...

WOW! What a wonderful tribute to some of my favorite friends. You are fortunate to have so many and such a wide population of varieties. I am not so lucky.

Unknown said...

Your blog is so unique and we, at the http://liftyouup.blogspot.com found your blog interesting and informative. So, keep it up,

troutbirder said...

Hey Lise this is one neat post. Whe I was a boy used to bring newts home from camping on the Sawbill trail in the BWCA. I'm sure your right amphibians are "canary in the coal mine" indicators of the health of our environment.

lisa said...

Wiseacre-Thank you for helping to spread the word!

Monica-Hooray indeed! :)

V-Thank you! I'm so glad to hear that you've restored your place to a frog-friendly environment!

Deb-Thank you! I bet your monkeys would miss the froggies if they all disappeared!

Barbee-Thank you! Sorry to hear that you don't get to see many frogs where you are. I'm happy to share mine! :)

James Oh-Thank you!

Troutbirder-I like newts too, when my son was little we lived near a stream and used to catch and release them. I just hope that this movement will get enough support before it's too late!

Jenn said...

Hi Lisa! We will definitely tell you when we're ready for yardwork...the boys want to plant veggies and herbs (I do too) but I need to figure out what to do and where. I'll definitely give you a call one of these days and we can figure something out! I appreciate all your help.

Thanks for all the blog comments. The picture of my uncle, with his guitar...he plays locally in Rivertown (formerly South Ellis) but just released a solo cd which is what I took the photos for!

Talk to you soon! Tell Matt we miss him! :)

-jenn

lisa said...

Cool! I really enjoy yard work, even if it's not at my house. :) Let me know if your uncle is playing somewhere local, ok? Matt misses you guys too!

Anonymous said...

I'm so jealous. Here at my place in N. CA I never see or hear frogs anymore. Thanks to your blog, I joined SaveTheFrogs. It has a disturbing link about the deadly effects of Roundup on reptiles and I won't use it from now on.

Cynthia

lisa said...

I'm so glad to hear that you joined Cynthia! I think it's a very worthwhile cause, and I have to admit that bugs and weeds aren't really any big deal even though I quit using chemicals in my yard. Bravo!

chuck b. said...

So frickin' awesome!

Annie in Austin said...

Wonderful photos in this great post, Lisa.
We must have some little tree frogs in our yard because we hear them at night,but can only see occasional toads, not frogs. Guess the fountain is not enough for them?

But a couple of friends with real ponds have lots of froggie action going on, with strings of eggs everywhere. I don't think it's just coincidence that they're pretty organic, non-pesticide gardeners.

Happy Spring!

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

lisa said...

Chuck-Wow, I can't believe I missed yours and Annie's comments! I really want to always answer (I'm a tad OCD :)....so thank you for the kudos!

Annie-Like I said, I cannot believe I missed your comment. Usually I get email alerts...anyway, thanks so much for the kudos! The things I enjoy the most about organic gardening-low cost and low maintenance! Although my yard would make Hank Hill cringe, it makes the froggies happy! :)

Anonymous said...

This is my first visit here, but I will be back soon, because I really like the way you are writing, it is so simple and honest

lisa said...

Thank you for that. I hate to dismiss anonymous comments to old posts out of hand, so I hope you are sincere and not just paving the way to park spam links here.