#treefrogs

[stickyfrogs]

Tonight we met this Gorgeous Small Gentleman at Nangak Tamboree Wildlife Sanctuary! It is the last night of the Great Southern BioBlitz and he did a fantastic job of singing the Song Of His People!

[ljsbugblog]

thought I would share some of the incredible amphibian diversity we see in our garden. all of these creatures are from the same genus of treefrogs, Litoria (excepting Green Tree frogs, which are also often described as genus Ranoidea).

a Broad-palmed Rocket Frog (Litoria latopalmata), who we have spotted in the bog cave the past few nights! this species has proven to be highly variable in colour and patterning, so always interesting to encounter.

the pebble-shaped Desert Tree Frog (Litoria rubella), who hunt insects on my car in multitudes.

one of my favourites, the Peron's Laughing Tree Frog (Litoria peronii). at a distance they appear a uniform beige, but a closer look reveals flecks of emerald green across textured skin. this species tends to be a bit larger than the other frogs, but is still dwarfed by the Green Tree Frog.

a Slender Bleating Tree Frog (Litoria balatus), who I have posted before. one of the smallest of the frogs we see, but nonetheless intriguing with their yellow toes, and vibrant red eye.

last, and largest, is the conspicuous Green Tree Frog (Litoria/Ranoidea caerulea), a species found across much of the continent, and frequently found around human dwellings.

that's 5 species of tree frog all found within our relatively small garden, which is pretty amazing. we've also recently encountered a pair of Striped Marsh Frogs (Lymnodynastes sp.) around the pond (hopefully I can get a good photo soon), and of course there are the ever-present Cane Toads (Rhinella marina).

[rat-king-co]

Some new pieces for my Australiana drop - blue banded native bees, green tree frogs, and Jacarandas 🌸🐸🐝💙 drop is on the 5th December via my website, link in bio

[boombambaby]

Treefrogs

As a child, Kuzco has had a number of bad experiences with tree frogs but one incident in particular that almost resulted in him drowning has stuck with him all this time. He was playing in the gardens with his Wompy bear, while a servant watched from a nearby bench. It was a bright, sunny day out and little Kuzco was having the time of his life chasing butterflies and bumblebees around, until he unknowingly approached the edge of his mother’s pond and fell into the water. The nanny who had been watching him hadn’t noticed at first, but quickly recovered and pulled him from the water when she realized what had happened. As she ran off for help, Kuzco found himself surrounded by the little frogs he must have disturbed when he fell in, all of them staring at him and croaking– and one being so bold as to dart its tongue out towards his cheek. Since then, he has an irrational fear of the slimy, smelly little things– having always thought that (somehow) they were responsible for that near death experience. [ DRABBLE ABOUT THIS HEADCANON FOLLOWS, BELOW THE CUT!]

One of his earliest memories as a small child is of him playing outside in the lush garden of the palace, tottling around with his favorite stuffed toy named Wompy in the bright afternoon sun. His maid is sitting on a nearby bench, reading and enjoying the quiet; and Kuzco is free to wander at his leisure. Flowers are a beautiful thing, some as bright as the sun itself and others with a multitude of colors and insects fluttering and buzzing around them. He’s giggling happily as he follows a bee lazily darting through the air, going from bloom to bloom as it collects its nectar. It’s dancing for him, and he’s all too happy to chase it around the garden– – until his little foot hits nothing but air, and he’s suddenly falling. The cold water comes as a shock to his system, and he’s flailing in an attempt to get away from it. It doesn’t help and when he tries to breathe, the cold water fills his mouth and causes him to choke. Wompy is just as afraid as he is, but somewhere in the struggle he lets go of him, and he floats to the bottom out of sight. He can’t see anything, and he can’t breathe and all too soon he can feel himself getting more and more tired, and his struggles lessen. In one second and the next he’s thrust out of the coldness of the pond, sobbing and choking as he tries to cough up the water he swallowed. He’s laying on the ground beside the garden’s pond, and his maid is hysterical, screaming for someone to come help. Kuzco is panting, with ragged heaving breaths leaving him and his head lists to the side, feeling like it’s full of rocks when he notices a small creature sitting beside his face. It’s green, with big eyes and long legs and they’re staring at each other like they’ve never seen anything so strange in their lives. Kuzco is cross-eyed as he stares at it, and just as he’s finally regaining control of his breath, something comes flying at his face. “AHHHH!” Kuzco screams, rearing back in horror as the creature’s. . . tongue?.. hits him on the cheek and then darts back into its mouth, and the creature’s only answer is a low ‘ribbit’ as he hops closer. He can’t get away fast enough, hands scrabbling at the dirt as he backs away from the creature, and it’s only until he hits the side of the pond once more that he stops and closes his eyes, bracing himself for the final blow. That comes in quick succession when the frog darts his tongue out once more and seems to capture something that was on his cheek, and Kuzco is sobbing again by the time the thing finally hops away, satisfied with its dinner. By then the maid is back, swaddling him in a warm blanket and comforting as she tries to get him to stand. In all the commotion, he forgot to tell them about Wompy and he screams that he isn’t leaving until he’s saved! Eventually, Wompy is rescued by other staffers, and the soaking wet Emperor-to-be and his favorite toy are escorted back into the palace to clean up. That day still haunts him, and ever since? He’s NEVER trusted those slimy, smelly little things.

[professionalunprofessional]

A cute Green Treefrog!

[akaremayaro]

Akaremayaro 2023 IG

[snototter]

A gray tree frog (Dryophytes versicolor) camouflages against a lichen covered tree in the USA

by John Williams

[herpsandbirds]

White-lipped Treefrog (Nyctimystes infrafrenata), family Hylidae, QLD, Australia

photograph by Phil the Frogfather

[toadschooled]

Happy Sunday from Gazebo Joe!

[fresh-frogs]

Smiles

[stickyfrogs]

Someone has been Yelling Loudly For Four Hours from behind the Plant! Long Frog hasn’t seen anyone but he will help by Yelling Loudly to scare them away!

[stinkybrowndogs]

Salamanders, newts, and frogs. Oh my.

[blondebrainpowered]

Crowned Tree Frog (Triprion spinosus), found in Costa Rica.

Photo by Rafael Steinlesberger

[cutiepieautistic]

Loveland ohio frogman stimboard

×/×/× ×/× ×/×/×

[markscherz]

Hey check this out

Dryophytes versicolor doing the loaf thing. Excellent frog.

[mothyandthesquid]

What is going on?!? They would not let me into the meeting as I did not know the password.