GottaLoveBeads.com » Home and Garden

Signs of Spring

Renate — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 23:47:22 +0000

After the warm spell the last few weeks, things are really looking like spring. Had this lovely surprise in the garden this morning.and these too

Spent the morning bathing the doggies, then went to the conservation area…

And got the muddies, so had to redo baths when we got home. But what a heavenly day….

My Mystery Critter Has Been Identified.

Renate — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:48:38 +0000

Our local MNR has come to the rescue and identified my mystery toad, which is actually a frog. Here’s the word from Jason Ritchie, Grey County Forest Stewardship Network:

This is a Gray tree Frog. Gray tree frogs are very variable in colour (like a chamelion) which explains the greenish colour and the fact that it was able to get up on the bench or table. The are often found on houses in rural areas near outdoor lights where bugs congregate because of the light.

Below is an excerpt I pulled from Wikipedia for you

As the species name Hyla versicolor implies, gray tree frogs are highly variable in color owing to their ability to camouflage themselves from gray to green, depending on the substrate they are sitting on. The degree of mottling varies. They can change from nearly black to nearly white. They change colors more slowly than a chameleon. Dead gray tree frogs and ones in unnatural surroundings are predominantly gray in color.

Gray tree frogs are very common but are not seen often due to their camo ability. They also have a very distinctive trill for a call, you will be able to find the call online, and will probably find that you have heard it before.

Hope this helps

Thank you, Jason! And thank you to all of you who have also helped me out, many of you correctly, in identifying this visitor.

Something I’ve Never Seen Before

Renate — Tue, 05 May 2009 21:11:02 +0000

It was a gorgeous day today but things were just not going smoothly, so I thought I’d have a break and do a bit of clean-up in the yard. There are still a lot of branches lying around from the winter storms. When I was moving my furniture around, I came across this little fellow lounging on my chair.

He looks a bit greenish in that picture because of the light reflecting off the chair, but he’s white! He has a bit of green in the markings, but I have never seen a toad like this in my life – and I’ve lived in this province for over half a century. Here’s some more pics.

And another one:

If anyone has any idea of what kind of toad this may be, I’d love to know