I keep trying to remember in which (if any) of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's novels it rained frogs. I know it rained frogs in some wonderful book I read years and years ago. I was reminded of it while walking down by the pond and into the surrounding grasses the other day. There were frogs, frogs, and more frogs everywhere.
At first I thought I was looking at a tiny snail, something shining coppery in the sunlight. When it hopped to another leaf, it truly startled me and my assumptions. Of course I took a closer look around and realized I was seeing little froggies on nearly half the leaves. Each step I took I saw even tinier frogs leaping ahead of me on the ground where they had been hiding. We suddenly have a large population of
Pacific Tree Frogs in various sizes and colors hanging out in the tall lily leaves. Here's a bit of what it looks like down there.
Pacific Tree Frogs can change their colors to match their environment.
Here's a green one in context. You can see how small they are, and how easily they can be overlooked. They really do blend right in.
This is a close-up of the guy in the above photo. We like how multicolored he is.
There are three frogs in the above photo. Can you see all of them?
This large one came up onto the window ledge by the kitchen table and looked in at us. I waved hello to it. I would have invited it in, but it climbed up the wall and disappeared pretty quickly. They really are everywhere.
I keep trying to remember in which (if any) of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's novels it rained frogs. I know it rained frogs in some wonderful book I read years and years ago. I was reminded of it while walking down by the pond and into the surrounding grasses the other day. There were frogs, frogs, and more frogs everywhere.
At first I thought I was looking at a tiny snail, something shining coppery in the sunlight. When it hopped to another leaf, it truly startled me and my assumptions. Of course I took a closer look around and realized I was seeing little froggies on nearly half the leaves. Each step I took I saw even tinier frogs leaping ahead of me on the ground where they had been hiding. We suddenly have a large population of Pacific Tree Frogs in various sizes and colors hanging out in the tall lily leaves. Here's a bit of what it looks like down there.
Pacific Tree Frogs can change their colors to match their environment.
Here's a green one in context. You can see how small they are, and how easily they can be overlooked. They really do blend right in.
This is a close-up of the guy in the above photo. We like how multicolored he is.
There are three frogs in the above photo. Can you see all of them?
This large one came up onto the window ledge by the kitchen table and looked in at us. I waved hello to it. I would have invited it in, but it climbed up the wall and disappeared pretty quickly. They really are everywhere.
Cute little buggers aren't they? And so colorful! Fun post for the day, Robin. Hope you've both had a great weekend and that you're ready for the new week.
ReplyDeleteSylvia
That is awesome. We don't seem to have many tree frogs up here on the mountian, unfortunately. Two weeks ago, when we went in town for an audubon meeting, they were calling all over in one residential neighborhood. I didn't seem fair.
ReplyDelete(I think you're right about a rain of frogs being in 100 Years of Solitude, but it's been 20 years since I've read that book.)
oh, wow! they are so cute! we had some tiny tree frogs in south carolina, but none in the places we've lived in california.
ReplyDeletefrogs were one of the biblical plagues. so there is an old literary source for an inundation of frogs.
These are great shots! Such fun to find the wee little things, and how lucky, too. I once walked across a plowed spring field in London, Ontario..that was alive with little frogs..likely toads.Your blog brought back this happy memory, so thanks Robin!
ReplyDeleteWhat a blessing! They are beautiful and so sweet. Living in the boring northeast, I've never seen a gathering of frogs that large.
ReplyDeleteBut your post did bring back a memory from childhood. I was walking through the woods with my brothers and a girl from England (can't recall how we knew her) and we kept feeling something falling on our heads as we walked, which we thoughtlessly brushed off each time it happened. It continued to happen, so someone finally fished one of the things out of his or her hair. They were tiny frogs. They were leaping out of the trees onto our heads. I just about lived in the woods as a kid; that was the only time that ever happened. Must have been the right time of the right day.
I am curious whether your beautiful friends will turn out to celebrate autumn every year. I'll be watching for your post about this time next year.
There was a plague of frogs in Exodus, and a plague of crabs in one of Garcia Marquez's short stories, but I don't recall it raining frogs in 100 years of solitude. Maybe it did, it's been a long time since I've read it.
ReplyDeleteVery nice frog photos.
Maybe it was in "Love in the Time of Cholera." Is that possible? I wish I could remember.
ReplyDeleteTime to get frogie! That was a fun post!
ReplyDeleteIt's 100 Years of Solitude I believe but it could be anyone of them. Weird things are always happening somewhere in his stories.
ReplyDeletebeautiful photos!! I could only find 2 frogs in the Where's Waldo photo. You close ups are astounding - great new camera, same old good eye.
ReplyDeleteit's raining froggies
ReplyDeleteteeming teeny tiny ones
froggies everywhere
I especially love the little one peering out between the base of the leaves! Their little faces and noses look like baby owls.
ReplyDeleteThey are so tiny and so cute. As a blog buddy of mine pointed out, they have such wonderful little hands--or would that be feet.
ReplyDeleteI love tree frogs! Thanks R and R!
ReplyDeletehttp://hawaii.gov/hdoa/pi/pq/coqui
ReplyDeleteThe froggies where we'll be moving are cute, but are also a BIG problem.
It's quite literally out of control.
Love to watch the tree frogs on my windows too!
ReplyDeleteWhat sweet little frogs. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the wonderful froggies. Are they singing, or is that a spring thing?
ReplyDeleteYeah, I was wondering if they were making noise at night.
ReplyDeleteSo darling, and a healthy sign.
At the opposite end of California from you many years ago, I finished tuning and synching carbs on a TR-6 Triumph Spitfire and then proceeded to take the owner out for a "test drive". Winding it out on the two lane backroads coming into Imperial Beach from San Ysidro we drove into a heavy squall. It was bad enough to be completely soaked from the first drops, since the top was down, but worse was the little frogs coming down with it...it was like driving onto black ice. Trying to see...being pelted by frogs...trying to gear it down from the upper 80's as the car tried to slide sideways...
ReplyDeleteI felt very sorry for all the frogs I killed that evening!
The girl who owned the car was picking frogs out of it for days...
alan
Thanks everyone for your thoughtful comments. Always so much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteI'm fairly certain that the frogs won't be mating until early winter or early spring. This is not quite the season. Just last week the temps were in the 90s!
Wow, alan, that's quite a story. I've read of others having similar experiences. Poor little froggies.
All those frogs!!! That's a good sign these days. I remember all those colors, too (-:
ReplyDeleteGreat photos! I love tree frogs, but I never see them anymore. Thanks for posting them.
ReplyDelete