Hello out there! This tiny frog seems to be tentatively looking out over his world.
Nikon D5100 f/5.6 ISO 1600 1/500s 55-300@300mm – Summer 2012
What is he thinking? Is he looking for friends? Checking for danger? Waiting for the big photographer to lose interest?!
This view gives a pretty good feel for how small these teensy amphibians are.
Nikon D5100 f/5.6 ISO 800 1/125 s Nikkor 55-300@300mm – Summer 2012
I wonder what it would feel like to just leap wildly in any direction and cling to whatever I hit? That is precisely what these tiny frogs do. They hold still until they are in imminent danger of being stepped upon, then they just leap madly, freezing where they land. Happily, I have not seen any diseased or malformed amphibians in or around our ponds 🙂
All the hens know we come bearing gifts 🙂 They gather ’round and check us out; is she carrying an apple? Does he have a slice of watermelon?
Nikon D5100 f/10 ISO 400 1/250 s Nikkor 55-300@220mm – Summer 2012
This one was especially pleased because she was the first to notice me and I was close enough that she didn’t need to run. Running is bad because it alerts the others that treats are at hand. These hens do not want to share with their sisters!
How did I spot this tree frog? It was washed out of the horse water trough when I cleaned and refilled it. After taking few shots of it sitting in the hay on the ground, I decided to see if I could catch it and move it to a more natural-looking environment.
Nikon D5100 f/10 ISO 800 1/350 s Nikkor 55-300@300mm – Summer 2012
It was surprisingly easy to catch. I wondered if it was perhaps suffering from overheating, as it had been hiding in the lip of the black plastic water trough. That is not exactly a cool place to hide. In any case, it passively sat on the pine bark and allowed me to take several photos before it moved.
It is marvelous how well the tree frog blends in with the gray, rough bark. No wonder I rarely see them in their preferred settings!
A small, slightly battered butterfly rests on a partially burned log in the woods.
Nikon D5100 f/11 ISO 400 1/350s Nikkor 55-300@300mm – Summer 2012
One small spot of sunlight picked him out, showing his beauty against the darkness beyond.
In the middle of a drought and heat wave here in Oklahoma, the horses really appreciate their trough of water, even if the temperature is that of bath water.
Nikon D5100 f/9.5 ISO 200 1/250 sec Nikkor 55-300@120mm – Summer 2012
Crazy Horse savors each sip.
I guess I was holding still successfully enough to allow this little guy to relax.
Nikon D5100 f/16 ISO 800 1/180S Nikkor 55-300@300mm – Summer 2012
I was actually watching him, and not moving, when he began his little toady rhythm section. After my first photo I moved the camera. He instantly froze, little pouch still distended but not making music any longer. It deflated ever so slowly as he held perfectly still waiting for the danger to pass. Finally he concluded that I must have just been a bush swaying in the breeze… Well, I don’t know what he thought, but he resumed his interrupted serenade.
That stick-like object in front of him is a dry grass stalk. See how much tinier his little front legs are than the dry grass?
This puffy looking little toad was just as tiny as those in my preceding posts, but it was pudgy looking.
Nikon D5100 f/8 ISO 400 1/125s Nikkor 55-300@300mm – Summer 2012
I have speculated about it. Â Could it have suffered an injury, like perhaps a sting from a wasp? Â Has it the ability to puff up as some sort of self-protection mechanism? Â Or is it simply a different variety of toad? Â It was the only one like this I spotted, but that is the case for the tiny green and mud-colored frog from an earlier post, so it is probably not a significant fact. The toad acted pretty much like all its other minuscule cousins, so if it had sustained an injury, it did not appear to be life threatening.
This little pipsqueak of a frog would fit on your thumbnail!
Nikon D5100 f/16 ISO 800 1/350s Nikkor 55-300@300mm – Summer 2012
It saw me and was ready to leap away at any hint that I might try to eat it. By moving very slowly, I was able to focus the camera and get a couple of shots before it either moved or my eye just lost it. They are extremely hard to spot when they hold still!
Another of the many minuscule amphibians populating the pond banks.
Nikon f/5.6 ISO 800 1/250s Nikkor 55-300@300mm – Summer 2012
Notice the size of the toad in comparison to the new sprig of grass behind it. It is far smaller in life than it appears on your computer screen!
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