Spiders (at the end), Dragonflies, and Frogs!

Come come! Come Out!
From bogs old frogs command the dark
and look...the stars
― Kikaku, Japanese Haiku  

This park has the best sunsets.*

We've been trying to get this kid to an amphibian watch for almost a year. Finally, the stars aligned, the moon came out, and the frogs and toads showed their stuff. The Green Tree Frogs were calling as were the Rio Grande Leopard Frogs. It seems like forever since we have heard the leopard frogs call with the gusto we heard (and recorded).

Shhh! It's a Green Tree Frog...

...that wants to be free!

After we measure and photograph someone has to let it go.

Adventuring with young people can be amazing. They see things differently and are only too willing to share that vision.

In between all the spiders he "spied" JS found this Spot-winged Glider (dragonfly). I was fixated on the red eyes!

Here's a little bit of our adventure. [BTW - He loved it!]


FROGS AND TOADS: We observed five species (the 4 pictured here and the Blanchard's Cricket frogs who called, but did not appear. At one point the cricket frogs started calling from across the pond...then the calling moved in a wave, gathering in intensity until a few frogs at my feet began calling. It was stunning. Some day I need to figure out how to add audio and video here.).

American Bullfrog floating on a mat of green yuck (my unscientific word).

After a little distress this Green Tree Frog decided to pose.

Smile!

Rio Grande Leopard Frog  and cricket friend.

The person who finds the frog gets to release it.

We knew there were Gulf Coast Toads around. On our way back to the cars we found this little guy.

 Other Critters:

This stunning beetle (I think it is a hardwood stump borer) was the first observation for most of us. No, it did not bite, but I bet it could...look at those pincers!

A couple of "woolly bear" caterpillars were crawling up this tree as we passed by on the trail.

It's a katydid of some kind...beautiful.

Other chores/duties:

If park visitors have questions - or car trouble (apparently) this group is ready to lend a hand!

Naturalists are often working on other projects on amphibian watch evenings. KM marked a tree with Virginia Creeper and Poison Ivy crawling up its trunk The identifying signage for those vines located elsewhere must be moved (at the recommendation of an arborist) and this will be their new site.

NOTES:

* Berry Springs Park and Preserve - https://www.wilco.org/Departments/Parks-Recreation/County-Parks/Berry-Springs-Park

Zelda loves to go on adventures. Here she watches companions stop for water. The evening was hot. It was still in the 80s as we headed home well after 10:00 p.m.

~~~~~~~SPIDERS ~~~~~~~

Once again the spider photos are left to the end of the post. The orbweavers were everywhere, but there were also some other BIG spiders - really big spiders! So, here they are (with the exception of the Yellow Garden Spider whose photo was not up to snuff.

Look or don't look. It's up to you. No people or spiders were injured in the process of documentation, although we watching one orbweaver snag supper.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dark Fishing Spider

Orbweaver

A member of Genus Tetragnatha, perhaps...

A BIG Wolf Spider