Croaking Frogs

Spring has arrived. Flowers are uncoiling, butterflies are rebirthing, and the Mesquite trees (which they say are the last to bloom) are blooming. After a hot and dry summer, everything is green.

I love this time of year. We've had some good rain and after a good rain, the frogs come out at my house. Literally. I have a huge pond a few feet in front of my house and I can sit on my porch and listen to them croak, calling out for their mate or warning other males away, or whatever it is they do. It sounds like millions, my husband bets there are probably hundreds. The thing that fascinates me is that if the males croak in warning or to breed, why do they croak in harmony? It's like a free concert right outside my house. None of them are out of tune with the other. You'd think they'd sound discordant or something if they weren't getting along.

I know, it's silly, but it's beautiful. Indescribable. With all the horrors in life, the sound of this many frogs is just amazing. This is what they mean when they say "enjoy the little things."

Not understanding this, I had to look it up some more. So I googled "why do frogs croak?" and found some interesting tidbits. Some say they croak before a rainstorm, but after five years of living here I can tell you they croak after a rainstorm. I also found something that says it only sounds like they're croaking more before a storm because the low clouds reflect the sound. Hogwash. It's probably a least a little true, though, because the whole world - color, sound and smell - all seem amplified before or after a rain shower. The colors after a rainstorm...ahh.

Back to the frogs...another post said it's because the air is moist and they can stay outside and croak longer. That makes more sense because I've walked up on them before and they all stop croaking and jump back into the water. I actually found some funny things online, but one thing I can tell you is, it is cool.

I wish I could find the pictures of the frogs I took last year, but my pictures are severely disorganized, even my digital files. Maybe one day, I'll get to those and organize them. Until now, I'll leave you with this...