A Couple of Eyes

It’s a great day outside! Well, maybe not for most of the human population in this part of Gods’ creation, but certainly for some of the living plants and creatures out there, the rain, drizzle, fog, and cool temperatures are just what the veterinarian ordered (so to speak). And even the humans can rejoice that the earth is being washed, spring growth is being watered, and we are back to more realistic temperatures for this time of the year.
Speaking of the living creatures out there, a few evenings ago I was sitting on the back patio and noticed something floating in our little fish pond in the back yard. It looked like a pair of eyes floating just above the water line. At first I thought it might be a frog, but the eyes were fairly far apart for it to be a frog. It was about dark, so I moved in for a closer look and the eyes disappeared into the water.
Not wanting to confront whatever it was until I had daylight on my side, I went on into the house. I kept looking for those eyes every time I went near the pond, but never found them floating on the water again.
Last night as I was watching night fall on the back patio, I looked at a rock that was partially submerged in the pond water. Somewhat submerged as well, but on top of the rock was the biggest frog I think I have ever seen. I’m thinking that if he was stretched out all the way, he would easily beat a 12 inch ruler for length. His eyes were about as far apart as the eyes I saw in the water, so I’m comfortable that I saw him a few nights before.
American bullfrogs, which is what this guy is, I think, will hibernate under water during the winter, partially submerged in the muddy bottom. They don’t burrow all the way down in order to maintain contact with water and thus a source of oxygen, which they can absorb directly through their skin. My guess is this one wintered on the bottom of the fish pond, as I don’t clean it out and there is a layer of muck on the bottom of the pond. He probably relatively recently became active again as the weather warmed up.
We usually can hear the call of frogs, not all of which are bullfrogs, in the spring and summer. I wonder if this dude will attract a mate or two and use the pond for a hatchery later this spring and summer. If so, we may well have tadpoles in our pond sometime this summer. That would be kind of cool.
I’ll keep you up to date on the frog situation, if there’s anything additional to report. Happy frog-watching!