Frog Haven

Today is November 30, and we've had no rain at all since November 6. On top of that, the heat of summer has passed, and it gets chilly when the sun goes down. That means the poor frogs that live around here are having a tough time.

When nights are hot and rain is a daily occurrence, the little squirrel frogs and pinewoods tree frogs leave their daytime safe houses to look for a meal. Favorite spots to hide are the downspouts and some large arborvitae on the shady side of our house. After dark, the frogs venture out, climbing down to the concrete driveway in front of the garage door. There, they wait for insects attracted by the light. June bugs are special treats.

Often we are startled by the "clunk" a little frog makes when he jumps onto our living room window.

In our part of south Florida, houses may be only six feet above sea level. The every-day rains collect in ditches at the fronts and backs of our houses, and the frogs rush there to breed when there is water. Walk out the front door during or after a rain, and we are assaulted by a cacophony of croaking and peeping. Not all species of frog sing the same tune or in the same key.

As soon as the sun is up, the sounds subside as the frogs return to their daytime resting places. With the afternoon rains, though, these singers, which are a pale tan and no bigger than two inches long, tune up again.

The frogs can be found in peculiar places. Until we understood their habits, we were shocked to find a frog under the rim of one of our toilets when we returned home from two months in Indiana. How did it get there? Was someone playing a joke on us? This year, we found a dead frog on our kitchen floor. A Florida-native neighbor had the simple explanation: the frog likely climbed up on the roof at night and slid down the toilet's standpipe to escape the morning sun. It sounded plausible.

When Ed opened an accordion hurricane shutter in late August in preparation for what we thought would surely be a hit from Hurricane Isaac, he was astounded to find three frogs in residence. What a mess they'd made.

The photo here shows another froggy hiding place - in the middle of a bromeliad.