The Awesome Spectacle In Our Own Backyard!

Gladiators in the Coliseum?  Spartans at Thermopylae?  They have nothing on the battles taking place nearly every evening in the water in Paula's garden.

The pond has been there for 30 years now, after it was dug by a backhoe and rocks were placed by guys stronger than me using a Bobcat.  

Together with lots of other critters that have wandered in there is a whole squad of Lithobates clamitans or Eastern Green Frogs.  They and the tree frogs make a wonderful racket in the spring and summer evenings, and the neighbors swear that they like the sound.  I am unaware as to whether or not there is further swearing concerning the amphibian chorus when I'm not present.

There are usually about eight or nine adult male frogs in the pond, and each has his own fiefdom of about ten to fifteen square feet to which he invites the curvaceous, cute and slimy females of the species, calling to them from the rocks around the edge of the pond.

These macho denizens of the not-so-deep bravely defend their miniature kingdoms from incursions of the other guys, swimming out to patrol the borders.  They then engage in what have become known as the Friday Night Frog Fights©.  

So what do frogs do when they fight?  They don't have any teeth, they really don't have claws and they can't drown each other - they're frogs, after all.  So they just kind of wrestle and flop around for a minute or so, then return to their respective corners, satisfied that they have proven their valor and repelled the invader.  

Have we descended so far in our retirement years that Friday Night Frog Fights© seem worthy of our attention?  A believable argument could be made to that point.  However, it's very pleasant on a warm summer evening to sit quietly and talk as the soft evening comes on and the watery warriors gird up their froggy loins for what to them are crucial confrontations.

We hope that you find things to do with your time that are half as enjoyable.

Dave & Paula