Walking out on the deck with 3 hounds yesterday morning, I was the first to spot a small creature sitting on the deck. Knowing the dogs would make quick work of him… and knowing that Merida required a vet appointment after attacking a similar amphibian a couple years ago, I whisked him up and put him on the leaf of a bush.
I saved his soul… and now I’m a legend to forest creatures all over Jackson County, Indiana. 🐸
But I still don’t know if the dude — we’ll call him Chester — is a toad or a frog. By uploading the image above, Grok says he’s a gray tree frog. Grok also told me something I didn’t know… all toads are poisonous, and no frogs are. Toads have parotoid glands behind their eyes that secrete toxins.
Another heroic feat!
Since we got the new zero turn mower (that I HATE), Perry typically mows on Saturdays. Rather than leave the job to him this week, I got on that thing and mowed just about everything. I even weed-whacked around the sidewalk and flower beds. But… I stayed clear of the ditch and anyplace I might struggle to navigate on the mower the size of a dump truck, and awarded him with the title, “Closer,” because it sounds badass.
Not sure why, but I feel accomplished when I’ve finished mowing in a way I never feel after cleaning up the house or doing laundry. And it makes me happy that now there’s not hours of mowing required today — on a Saturday.
Now you know: All toads are frogs, but not all frogs are toads, according to Penn State University.