We didn't even know there was a National Frog Month until a day or two ago. It comes in April, which is fitting, as that's usually when the snow and ice melts; waters open; grounds unfreeze; and, frogs go a-courtin'. Both the
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources have web pages full of facts about Minnesota's frogs, including pictures, recordings of calls and fascinating, off-beat items. One of the strangest "facts" we came across is the
listing, on Bob Dylan's web site, of a complete(?) set of lyrics to the
traditional English folk song,
Froggie Went A-Courtin', listing Mr. Zimmerman's alter ego as the arranger.
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wood frog(?) on screen door
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We all know (or should) about
The Frog Prince and, according to one source, Aesop's
The Scorpion and The Frog. A different source lists another
eight of Aesop's fables that include frogs, but none also includes a scorpion.
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green tree frog on hand rail
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Some time ago we found a description of
many species of animals that benefit from stream restoration projects, such as those done by Trout Unlimited. Quite a few species of frogs are included. We were even more intrigued by the amphibian breeding phenology information provided in the report. Here's the chart:
The Frog
Be kind and tender to the Frog,
And do not call him names,
As ‘Slimy skin,’ or ‘Polly-wog,’
Or likewise ‘Ugly James,’
Or ‘Gape-a-grin,’ or ‘Toad-gone-wrong,’
Or ‘Billy Bandy-knees’:
The Frog is justly sensitive
To epithets like these.
No animal will more repay
A treatment kind and fair;
At least so lonely people say
Who keep a frog (and, by the way,
They are extremely rare).
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Thanks for visiting. Come again when you can.
Please be
kind
to each other while you can.
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