All photos by Jonathan Schechter - March 23, 2012
...from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have
been, and are being evolved." Charles Darwin. The Origin of Species 1859
Almost three weeks have passed since frogs of many species answered their seasonal call of the
wild.Stirred by early warmth they hopped off to their vernal ponds for mass matings.
When it comes to frog sex there is little in the way of discretion or privacy.
Each species creates its own croak, harrumph, peep, or quack (wood frogs quack!) to attract
mates of their species.
That is nature's way.
wild.Stirred by early warmth they hopped off to their vernal ponds for mass matings.
When it comes to frog sex there is little in the way of discretion or privacy.
Each species creates its own croak, harrumph, peep, or quack (wood frogs quack!) to attract
mates of their species.
That is nature's way.
But today, after wandering back to my woodland vernal pond to listen to early spring in the
woods - something I often do - and seeing one particular frog again, kind of by himself again,
I began to wonder if perhaps nature is experimenting in a fashion that would make Darwin smile.
woods - something I often do - and seeing one particular frog again, kind of by himself again,
I began to wonder if perhaps nature is experimenting in a fashion that would make Darwin smile.
Wood frogs have a distinct dark mask across the eyes and dark colored legs with occasional
dark bands on the legs. Larger leopard frogs have spotted legs. And so when I first saw this
frog I was puzzled and sent the photo to a Michigan herpetologist who wrote to let me
know "It's a wood frog", but "oddly colored" with "unusual" markings on the legs.
I wondered some more.
dark bands on the legs. Larger leopard frogs have spotted legs. And so when I first saw this
frog I was puzzled and sent the photo to a Michigan herpetologist who wrote to let me
know "It's a wood frog", but "oddly colored" with "unusual" markings on the legs.
I wondered some more.
And now maybe you wonder too.
Is this frog perhaps the result of a bit of froggy frolics and dallying and diddling between
species last spring on a warm and sultry rainy night of hard-wired, fast-paced frog lust.
species last spring on a warm and sultry rainy night of hard-wired, fast-paced frog lust.
The answer remains a secret of the frog's night world of primordial soup we call vernal ponds.
Look closely: The mystery frog is just right of center, about 1/3 the way up from bottom.
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