The Pacific Tree Frog

Twice before I have posted about frogs. Here.....and.....here. The Living and Loving household just can't get enough of these adorable little creatures. It is fairly rare that we run across one in our yard, but when we do...we certainly take full advantage of the opportunity.



After posting some preliminary photos of this little hopper recently, I was encouraged to share what type of frog it was. Guess what? I didn't actually know. Bad mama! So I set about researching. It didn't take me long to identify our frog as a Pacific Tree Frog. This particular website shows the variation of color that can be seen, but I have never seen one that isn't green. I suppose it is due to the fact that I live in a really green area. The dark band that runs across the eyes and down their sides is the common factor in all of these. They are very vocal, and are also known as a Pacific Choral Frog. I love to sit outside on a spring evening and listen to their beautiful music. It is definitely one of my favorite sounds on earth.



This particular evening Sugar Bear was as enamored as ever. This poor little frog was a real trooper. She played with him for the better part of an hour. She is as gentle as a clumsy three year old can be, but I spent a great deal of time checking on the health of mister frog. They have this really interesting instinct to puff up and remain perfectly still. I am assuming it is a defense, but it freaks me out. When this happens I just ask sugar to put him down for awhile, and usually within 15 seconds it deflates and is back to normal. I regret not having a picture of this to share, but usually, I'm busy praying he isn't really dead. It is one thing to let your child experience the joy of interacting with a frog, and entirely another to let her torture it to death. Right?

oh wait....here is one of Sugar giving him a little breather.



Now back to the torture fun. I think he would completely agree with the great Kermit the Frog when he said, "It's not easy being green."









Apparently playing with a frog is full of it's ups.....





and downs.....



Several times during this interaction, I set my camera down, only to pick it up minutes later to capture another few moments. I have found that always being prepared is key. Just as I found myself ready to pack it in, Sugar bear surprised me with this......two of my favorite photos of the day. If I hadn't had my camera still at my side I would have missed it.





Lastly, I'd like to leave you with a quote from actress Cameron Diaz,“I'd kiss a frog even if there was no promise of a Prince Charming popping out of it. I love frogs.” and apparently....so does Sugar Bear.



*** I am a little annoyed at Flickr as it seems to sharpen my photos during upload, which is given them a strangely over sharpened look. I switched from Photobucket to Flickr a month ago, and I am not all that pleased. I'll be reassessing the situation.***