Friday, August 26, 2005

Michele asks: "Was Jeremiah Really a Bullfrog?"


Michele, at http://micheleagnew.com/ asks in her latest "All About You" test: "Do you think Jeremiah really was a bullfrog?"


The Jeremiah we knew and loved was indeed a bullfrog - a very large bullfrog. He appeared to be about 12" long from nose to toes (when fully extended). The first summer we lived in our house, we used the pool at all hours. Discovering that a large frog swam in our pool every night, we tried to swim with him. My son would dive in, and the frog would go to the very deepest part of the pool and hover there, pretending to be dead. After a few days, the frog realized that we were not going to harm him, so he would swim around with us, taking long, long strokes and nearly swimming the full length of the pool with 1-2 strokes. That frog stayed around our pool the entire summer, and we miss him even after all this time.

We have lived here 23 years. In the first 10 -15 years or so, we had frogs around the pool nearly every night. In the spring mating season, the chirps of the small tree frogs would be almost deafening every evening. They would sit on the tiled edge of the pool; mating as though their very lives depended on it. The next morning, I would see large gelatinous mats of small black specks all over the top of the water surface. Most of them got skimmed off into the filtration system; some got scooped out with our leaf net. But occasionally, some must have survived, because we would get a new crop of tiny frogs in the pool. Small tree frogs used to climb up the brick wall onto my kitchen window, and "hang" there overnight; their little suction-cup feet visible from inside. It was a good science lesson for the children.

What I am wondering now is "where have all the frogs gone?" I heard once that if you have frogs nearby, you can rest asured there are no snakes around. We see a few frogs now and then; trapped overnight in the skimmer basket. We release them into the woods, but the huge numbers of frogs we once saw do not exist anymore, at least not here. Perhaps the little frogs have all met the fate of the one in the photo above - caught by a black snake. I had barely enough time to get the camera, but I made it back outside before the snake swallowed the poor little frog. I hate to see that happen, even though I know it is all part of the "survival of the fittest" thing.


20 comments:

srp said...

I don't like snakes or spiders.
And that is all I have to say on the subject.
Except, I do love the little tree frogs.

Anonymous said...

Disappearance of frogs is a sign of toxic substances in the environment. Pollution is a big blame.

Jamie Dawn said...

I'm not a fan of snakes. I'd prefer the invasion of the tiny frogs any day. I love how you swam with that one frog during the summer. That is so neat.

kenju said...

Angie, I knew that some of the disappearance of frogs is due to toxicity - I just didn't think it applied to my back yard!

Anonymous said...

I find it amazing that the frog survived the chlorine and other chemicals in the pool! Here from Michele's today.

Anonymous said...

Reptiles of all kinds give me the willies!

Nice to see you! Michele sent me.

Anonymous said...

Just caught up on comments on my site. You say you left W.Va. too. Where did you live? Clendenin - here and graduated from Herbert Hoover High, class 0f 66.

mommy d said...

Frogs I could deal with, especially the friendly swimming buddy type. It is the snakes I would have a problem with! Have a great weekend! Michele sent me!

Twist of Kate said...

Frogs give me the creeps...like a lot! :) Hi there Kenju...here via Michele today!!!

Anonymous said...

Snakes scare the wits out of me.. brrr....

visiting via michele's

J Anderson said...

Another Michele fan. Michele sent me lol

Paul Nichols said...

You're right: "Survival of the fittest!"

Sorta reminds me of The Outlaw Josey Wales, when he said, "Buzzards gotta eat, too."

Interesting post. I enjoyed it.

Daisy said...

I'd take frogs any day over snakes. I hate snakes.

The Mistress of the Dark said...

All I know is that Jeremiah was a good friend of mine..

Now everyone sing...

Joy to the world! Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea. Joy to you and me!

Have a great weekend :)

brendalove@gmail.com said...

judy, didn't you say before you had swam with dolphins before too? I may be thinking of someone else.

I need an animal to swim with.

OldHorsetailSnake said...

Could be pollution, like Angie says. Some scientists say something "new" is attacking frogs. Whatever, it is going on just about everywhere.

Anonymous said...

I'll never forget the first time I saw frogs when I moved to Tennessee. I found them utterly fascinating. Wyoming doesn't have a very conducive environment for frogs.

Anonymous said...

P.S. Michele Sent me.

Anonymous said...

All I can think of is it was the song you always heard at weddings. I never liked it but I loved the movie Jeremiah Johnson (Robert Redford).

Anonymous said...

Wow, great picture of the froggie's demise. I'm surprised that frogs and tadpoles and all could survive in chlorinated water. Hardy little buggers. :)