The Frog Hunters

 

Below normal temperatures with rains every day cause a lot of quiet walks in the woods for diehard hikers like myself. As soon as the temperatures warm up and the sun shines, the metro parks become alive with people.

Gone is the dead silence when the rustling of the leaves is noisy, the squirrels playing tag from tree to tree are screeching at each other and the rushing of the water in the creek can be heard long before you see it.

 Now the parking lots are filled with cars, picnic tables are loaded with food and people are roaming everywhere. 

Despite the increase in noise and people population, the beauty of the woods continues on. The streams continue to flow thanks to all the rains that kept the crowds away.

 

The Wildflowers continue to bloom and provide variations in color.

The Purple Martins keep the flying insect population down. That is something I am thankful for. Bugs love to suck on my blood. I ended up with several bites today. 

One of the most unusual events today was meeting the Frog Hunters. While trekking up one of the hills a group of kids came toward me. Two of them were carrying buckets like the KFC chicken comes in. That piqued my curiosity. I asked the last boy what was in the bucket. He told me they were looking for frogs. He said they were capturing them so they could set them free in another part of the park. Next thing he does is lift up the lid to show me the frog. I look inside. Sure enough there is a frog. I tell him I want to take a picture of it and begin to pop off the camera cover. Before I know it, he has the frog in his hand holding it out for me to take the picture. He announces he is a great Frog Hunter and continues to hold the frog out.

Not to be outdone by the great Frog Hunter the other boy opens his bucket and shows me his frog. His froggy is madly trying to jump out of the bucket and run away. He goes into hiding by the time I take his picture. He is hiding under the grass in the bucket. 

 

 

My heart goes out to this froggy. All I can hope is that he will survive in his new home.

I thank the boys and the whole crowd who has gathered to watch the photography session as they head off in search of more frogs.

 

 

 

I wonder how many frogs they catch and if the frogs will survive in the new environment the Frog Hunters will provide for them?

Many of us do not cope with change very well. Moving is usually so stressful for us. I wonder how it is for a frog?

Teena Akiyama © 2011 All Rights Reserved