Wilderness Wednesday::The Backyard Version

The talk on Wednesday, after the discovery of a good size toad in the yard, was of "frog hunting" (yes, they are toads, but my boys have always call it frog hunting). This is fairly frequent pastime in the evening during the summer months.

It started with a "spider egg sac" (discovered in the quest for toads). Mark called me over saying that there were all sorts of little spiders moving on it (!). I was not able to see much, but Mark had a much closer view...


By the time I got there (some time later), it looked like this:
I cannot verify that it is a spider egg sac, but pictures of one online look very similar.
None-the-less, Mark was pretty excited about the find.



Next up was the "save the toads" mission. James and Mark discovered some little toads down a drain near our porch. They had slipped through the cracks to find a cool hiding place,
but were struggling to get out.

 Dad was enlisted to save the day.

 Pretty mucky in there!

Whew! Two (or three?) toads saved from a watery demise!

As evening grew dim, true "frog hunting" began.
Just to note: No toads were hurt during this activity and all toads are released within minutes of capture.  



According to our new Fun With Nature Take-Along Guide ($3 at the used curriculum sale!), the most likely suspect for the identity of our toads is the Woodhouse's Toad. It is the only one shown that is native to CA and the picture is a pretty good match. The book notes that the toads are attracted to lights at night where they find moths and such, so we are going to try to set out a light for them and see if they come to us! Also included are some instructions for setting up a "toad house" that we are going to try. Fun stuff!

I'll be linking up to:

Comments

  1. Our Homeschool ReviewsJune 24, 2011 at 4:35 AM

    Fun! My daughter loves to go in our backyard and find frogs and grasshoppers.

    ReplyDelete
  2. PattyJune 24, 2011 at 5:13 PM

    I KNOW that my kids would have been thrilled to join in the frog hunt!

    ReplyDelete

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