It'll get colder for sure. Now it's 47 degrees Farenheit during the day, and the frog is out there living in the pond in our backyard. I know he's there. We saw him a week ago.
Yes, he is a male. We checked the size of the spots where the ears would be, the tympanum. He's a male. His spots are larger than his eyeball. We call him Herb because that's what he says when he says anything. It's the only word he knows so he repeats himself a lot. There was a female, but she was murdered a few weeks ago. I think a stray cat did it. Other than two months of mating season in June and July, frogs are solitary creatures. They always sat on opposite sides of the pond. So he may not be lonely.
So what is Herb doing out there? I think of frogs as warm weather things. I don't see him around. Is he underwater holding his breath already? It is cold. He doesn't have a cap or a jacket. He should have another month before he goes in the water and holds his breath until spring. Breathes through the skin then. How about that?
We have gold fish we bought for nineteen cents apiece that have endured ten years out there. They slow down in the winter to nothing, then start moving again when the water warms in the spring. We keep a waterfall going year round so the noxious gases escape and the creatures can live. This is the second winter for Herb in our pond. Other frogs come and go during the spring and summer. They seem to travel with the rains.
Good luck, Herb. Been thinking about you. Hope you're feeling okay. Look forward to seeing you in the spring.
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