We have been spotting herps all over our property. We live in the country, obviously, and we have woods and pasture, about 25 feet from the back door. We also have a railroad tie wall/flower bed next to the hooue, and with the rotting wood, there are plenty of places for herps to live and hide. In the past week, we have spied several skinks, leopard frog, garter snake, ringneck snake, etc. And that's just outside our back door.
We have been rearranging our pastures, etc, to better accomodate the horses, and grass. (Less grazing in one spot helps pasture improvement.) With that in mind, we decided to empty one of the stock tanks that wasn't in use, and just being used as a mosquito-breeding operation(!) (As an aside, if you do have stock tanks for animals, you can use "dunks" available at any farm/garden/hardware store. They're an organic way to keep down the mosquito population. They are safe for fish too!)
So to prevent rain water from starting the cycle all over again, we turned over the tank, and lo and behold, found the following critter underneath! We can only hope that there are more, as these guys are fascinating, and really rather uncommon! Obviously the picture was taken in a staged setting, as these guys do not settle in for their portraits, very easily!
Stay tuned!!!
We have been rearranging our pastures, etc, to better accomodate the horses, and grass. (Less grazing in one spot helps pasture improvement.) With that in mind, we decided to empty one of the stock tanks that wasn't in use, and just being used as a mosquito-breeding operation(!) (As an aside, if you do have stock tanks for animals, you can use "dunks" available at any farm/garden/hardware store. They're an organic way to keep down the mosquito population. They are safe for fish too!)
So to prevent rain water from starting the cycle all over again, we turned over the tank, and lo and behold, found the following critter underneath! We can only hope that there are more, as these guys are fascinating, and really rather uncommon! Obviously the picture was taken in a staged setting, as these guys do not settle in for their portraits, very easily!
EASTERN NARROW MOUTH TOAD
(Gastrophryne carolinensis)
Not a toad at all, but in the frog family. Very cute, about 1 inch long, and their cry sounds like a sheep bleating! The first time I heard one calling was in a field near a pond, and I could not, for the life of me, figure out what it was, and recorded the call to ask a naturalist at the Nature Center.
Stay tuned!!!
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