Saturday, June 2, 2012

After twilight

Meet our little nocturnal friend of the last two weeks. He appears on our patio every evening sometime after dark. It drives our dogs around the bend, but so far Mr. Toad has been spared any pawing or biting or scary barking. Now if sniffing and dog breath caused death, he'd be long gone.



Thanks to my friends at Project Noah, they've identified this as a Southern Toad. It sleeps all day in its ground burrow, emerging after twilight to eat insects. This indiscriminate toad will ingest any live insect that will fit in its mouth. Oh, how I hope he can put a dent in the roach population! Mr. Toad also likes to soak in a bowl of water, so as soon as I hit the Publish button I'm off to provide this cutie a little bathtub. :)

Linking up with A Rural Journal: Your Sunday Best #20. (Sorry, I used two photos instead of one.)

33 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

so funny! i keep a pan of water under the dryer vent that vents onto a section of our deck - and i keep it filled and ready for the nightly toad spa. :)

i love toads. think they're just freaking adorable!

Karen said...

He(she) is just adorable!

Evelyn S. said...

How cute! And how thoughtful you are to provide his bath! ;-)

Anonymous said...

He is cute, and you photographed him so well!

Anonymous said...

What a pretty visitor. Does he sing for you too?

Unknown said...

What a cute little fella. So nice of you to provide him with his bath..
I think I would do the same. I think they would be so fun to have around.

Hugs~

Travel With Lulu said...

He's so cute in a toad way :) so pudgy and happy!

Brian King said...

Fantastic shots! The clarity and detail are wonderful!

Kathy said...

I love looking at pictures of frogs and toads but in real life they give me the jeebies!

Cynthia Schelzig said...

What fabulous shots of a gorgeous creature! Don´t forget to leave a little bath oil.....

Nancy said...

We have toads all around here, but I've only seen a couple -- and they didn't want to pose for me! :)

Deanna said...

Great shots of your new resident insect eater. Keep the dogs away so the toad can play and eat all the roaches in the way. Ha...I made a rhyme.

Barbara said...

Oh, he's a cutie, and such a great model! I caught a glimpse of a big toad on our porch the other night, but he was off in a flash, hiding.

Spare Parts and Pics said...

Nice to find beauty in toads!

Rosemary Aubut said...

Great shots as always Gail! Enjoy him!

Stephani Cochran said...

Love frog photos but have never captured one myself! Great job!

hootnonny said...

What a little worker bee you have there. Let's hope he loves mosquitoes!

Anonymous said...

I'd say that if he eats roaches, he should be treated like a king... nice idea w/ the bathtub! heheheee
He'd be my new bestest friend!!! =)

Michelle said...

Awww...he's kind of cute (in his own strange way!). :)

tinajo said...

Hehe, he look very cool! :-)

Lisa Gordon said...

What great shots these are Gail, especially the last one.
We have these little guys all around our pond now. I am guessing ours are "Northern" toads though!! :-)

Lee Ann L. said...

My kind of toad. Love the second shot.

And, thanks for the tip on providing a bathtub for toads. LOL. I am planning to have "toad houses" in my garden. Might as well provide a tiny bathing spot for them too. :-)

Hilary said...

Awww that's quite cute. I love his red eyes. So nice of you to run his bath for him. ;)

Justine said...

wow these are fantastic and you managed to get up so close! not a fan of toads myself but you have captured this fellow beautifully

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

what a great toad! I took a picture of one here once, but you couldn't see him in the picture he just blended in with the dirt~

beth said...

can you believe we have salamanders that do the same thing ?
they are on our patio at night to the eat the bugs that the outside lights bring in.
but i love them....and i love your toad !!

rainfield61 said...

It should be a great moment if there is a mosquito flying around.

Laura Delegal - Leroy Photography said...

He's wonderful. How do you get him so clear. The toads at my house come out after dark and it's always too dark to photograph them. I need to get a spot light. :( You capture, however, is perfect. Love it.

Charlotte Wilson said...

I would like a few of these around my house to eat the mosquitos, you know, those bird sized bugs that are so pesky in the south.
Cool capture!

♥charlotte

Katie said...

We have one of these that likes to hang out at our house, too. We've named him Kermit the Fisher. : )

Anonymous said...

I love having toads hang around. They are so good for eating bugs.

Tammy@Simple Southern Happiness said...

Awesome photo of this rather...shall we say... less than lovely ...ugh... creature.... BUT with your keen eye and photography skills, you made him less fearsome. Wonder if he has some cousins here in GA, I need them to come visit my backyard, there are some mighty tasty Earwigs for them to dine on.

Hang with a bath bowl, provide that dude with a Jacuzzi for all his hard work.

SandyCarlson said...

Your toad is one handsome dude.