frog

Summer Scenery

/ Rebecca / 15 Comments

Hiking on the boardwalk around the edge of Reelfoot Lake is a good way to see native plant and animal life, with each season offering up its own variety of treasures.

“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery … I thought ‘this is what it is to be happy.'” ~Sylvia Plath

A Pleasant Surprise

/ Rebecca / 10 Comments

Part of the fun of taking a nature walk is that you never know what you’re going to see. Encounters with nature, no matter how small, are blessings to be enjoyed and appreciated.

A bluebird sitting on the branch of a tree.
A meadowlark rummaging on a hillside for insects.
Numerous vultures huddled together in a tree top.
A Green frog sunning itself on a muddy embankment.
Deer grazing at the edge of the woods.
A Carolina wren flitting from tree to tree in the woods.
A flock of snow geese foraging in a local farm field.
A muskrat nibbling greenery beside a lake road.

“Unexpected and pleasant surprises occur every day … We will notice if we look. We will see good sprinkled liberally over every day if we are open.” ~Steve Goodier

Green Frog

/ Rebecca / 9 Comments

A Green Frog sits on the stem of an aquatic plant, waiting patiently for his next meal to come along.

“Time’s fun when you’re havin’ flies.”  ~Kermit the Frog

Gray Treefrog

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I was sitting outside watching the hummingbird activity around the feeders, when suddenly a little gray treefrog seemed to come sailing out of nowhere into view.  It landed on the stem of one of my rose bushes, where it sat very still, hoping to blend in with its surroundings.

“Sometimes the best place to be is nowhere to be found.”  ~Unknown

Wearing camouflage

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“Depth must be hidden.  Where?  On the surface.”  ~Hugo von Hofmannsthal

Blending in

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This green frog blends in well with the color of the surrounding duckweed, and can easily go unnoticed.  What commonly gives its presence away is its high, reverberating chirp or an occasional hop.

“So you’re a little weird? Work it! A little different? OWN it! Better to be a nerd than one of the herd!”  ~Mandy Hale

Among the fallen leaves

/ Rebecca / 5 Comments

 

On a hike in the woods, I caught sight of this tiny frog hopping among the fallen leaves.  Eventually, it settled in a spot that had been flooded by some rain water.

“A fallen leaf is nothing more than a summer’s wave goodbye.”  ~Unknown

Standing among the duckweed

/ Rebecca / 4 Comments

This spot at the Reelfoot National Wildlife Refugee is one of my favorite places to stand and listen to silence, intertwined with the occasional sweet sounds of nature.

“In mid-wood silence, thus, how sweet to be,
Where all the noises, that on peace intrude
Come from the chittering cricket, bird, and bee,
Whose songs have charms to sweeten solitude.”
~John Clare

Frogs on a log

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While visiting the Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge, I was able to spot a couple of  frogs — a Green Frog and a Gray Treefrog.  They were both sitting on logs, soaking up some sun.

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Well,
if I were a belly-floppin’ frog
I’d sit in the sun on a little old log,

and I’d doze
doze
doze…

with my eyes closed
closed
closed…

if I were a belly-floppin’ frog      

Ribbit!
~Unknown