Children’s Garden Club
Volume # 12, Sheet 10
October 1st , 2011
Frogs & Fun
For the Garden-Haefners
6703 Telegraph Road
www.stlouisco.com/parks
Welcome to the October Meeting.
Making your garden frog-friendly may not seem like the wisest choice, especially if the thought of frogs makes your spine crawl. Yet these amphibious creatures
are one of the best critters that you could encourage into your garden. A garden without frogs is like a safari park without lions. These seemingly innocuous creatures
may look cute and friendly but they are the terror of the waterways, menacing their
pray with an almost pacifying stealth.
What you may not know about the garden frog is that they can cope with climate diversity like no other animal. It’s not uncommon to find them in the snowfields
or even surviving in desert wastelands. Yet each species has their own territory and
preferred conditions and removing them from these habitats is quickly causing their
demise.
What are the benefits of frogs in the garden?
Creating a place for garden frogs in your yard is very beneficial. Frogs are bug
and critter devourers and will feast on many of the your problematic garden pests.
Mosquito larvae, sowbugs and caterpillars are all common delicacies for the garden
frog. Plus, they will often forage on the outer foliage of some plants – especially
vegetables. These leaves are most accepted by them when they are in some state of
decay which means they are often unfit for human consumption.
If you have children living with you an added benefit is allowing them to interact with your frogs. Children will always find these amphibians delightful, even if
they aren’t prepared to pick them up or hold them. BTW – if you do try to pick up a
garden frog make sure your hands are moist so that you don’t harm their protective
Diagram of the Frog Life Cycle
skin. The downside of encouraging frogs is that they are common food for snakes which may, in turn, bring these
undesirables into your garden as well.
How to encourage frogs into your garden
While most gardeners tend to opt for a specific frog pond it’s not essential to do this. Provided that frogs can
have access to pools of water, whether it be in a bucket or an unused bird bath, they will find your garden hospitable.
In fact, the more moist your garden is the more chance frogs will start to inhabit your yard.
The benefit of having a frog pond is that you have more control over what takes place in them. Allowing pools
of water to occur in your garden may not be a good form of mosquito control so if mosquitoes are a common pest in
your yard then a pond may be the best option.
A pond that encourages garden frogs is one that is not too deep, offers some plant life for protection and food,
rocks for sunning on and still places to breed. These ponds can accommodate some fish but choose varieties that aren’t
likely to find frog larvae or tadpoles a desirable food source.
Fall
FROGS
&
Fun!!!!
Frog Facts
They do more than just hop around!!!
Something to think about at bedtime!
When you get ready for bed at night, think about all the other creatures that share your world and who are also
getting ready for bed. As it gets dark, the wildlife you have attracted to your yard or garden like birds, bees butterflies,
ladybugs and other insects will be falling asleep. Some will be tucked into bushes, or nests, while others are under
leaves or flowers, in wood piles or tiny gaps in walls.
As their day ends, just as your day is ending, it is just beginning for a lot of other creatures! They sleep while we
are awake, and we sleep while they are awake! And when they wake-up, they are hungry for their breakfast.
Frogs are one of those creatures who really like being up at night. They will spend their time looking for insects,
slugs and worms to eat. I think you will be surprised to learn more about these interesting animals, and how important
they really are for our world.
What is a frog?
They are members of the zoological class called Amphibians. They are cold blooded and are vertebrate animals
What is the difference between a frog and a toad? There are over 400 different kind of frogs, and more than 300
kind of toads.
Frogs have
2 bulging eyes
Strong, long webbed hind feet that are great for leaping and swimming
Smooth or slimy skin
Toads have
Stubby bodies with short hind legs that are better or walking instead of hopping
Warty and dry skin (they usually like it better out of water, while frogs prefer to be wet)
Poison glands behind their eyes
Bumpy, rough skin
Super Skin!
Frogs have very special skin. They don’t just wear it, they drink and breathe through it. Most of the water they
need to like goes through their skin, not their mouth.
Because frogs get oxygen from the water that goes through their skin, they need to take special care of their skin
or they might not be able to breathe. That is why a lot of frogs have slimy skin, and like to be near the water.
Toads, on the other hand, have tougher skin that doesn’t dry out as fact, so they can live farther from the water.
Did you know that frogs shed their skin a lot to keep it healthy? Some do it everyday! When it’s time to shed their
skin, they start to twist and turn and act like they have the hiccups. They do this to stretch themselves out of their old
skin. Then they pull the skin off over it’s head (kind of like when we take off a sweater) and then. the frog eats it! Gross!
Leapin’ Froggies!
Frogs are one of the best leapers on the planet! Did you know that frogs can launch themselves over 20 times their
own length using their big strong legs?
If you were a tiny frog, about 1 inch long, you could jump about 20 inches, or as long as this string. (Use the
string prop.)
So, if you could jump like a frog, and you were 4’ tall, you could jump 80 feet! Do you want to see how long 80
feet is? (Use the prop that is set up to demonstrate.)
As far as I have read about the longest frog jump on record measured 33 feet, 5 inches! WOW!!!
The average flea can jump up to 150 times its own length.
A kangaroo can leap about 41/2 times it’s length.
An elephant can’t jump at all!
What is the Biggest Frog?
The biggest kind of frog is called a Goliath frog, and they live in Africa. Their bodies are about a foot long, and
can weigh as much as a very big house cat!
What is the Smallest Frog?
The smallest frogs live in many different places. The Gold frog lives in Brazil and is only about 3/8 of an inch
(very tiny!)
Equally as small a kind of frog that was just discovered living in Cuba. It doesn’t have a common name yet. Say
AAAAHHHH!
Say AAAAHHHH!
Some frogs have tongues that are long and sticky that can be used to catch bugs. These roll out like an upsidedown party horn and SNAP at the bug—yummy!
Did you know that when a frog swallows a meal his bulgy eyeballs will close and go down into his head?! This is
because the eyeballs apply pressure and actually push his meal down his throat. GULP!
Also, there are about 14 kind of frogs that live in Africa that do not have a tongue at all. These frogs live in water.
Do Frogs have Teeth?
Actually, yes! But not like our teeth. Their teeth are in the back of the upper edge of the jaw, and some also have
teeth on the roof of their mouth. Their teeth are used to trap their prey and keep it in place until they can get a good
grip on it and squash their eyeballs down to swallow their meal whole.
Hide and Seek
Many frogs rely on the art of camouflage to avoid getting spotted by predators. Some look a lot like where they
live (toads look like tree bark) while others can change colors to match where they are.
Doctor Frog to the Rescue
Scientists are finding new ways to treat sick people by studying frogs! This is another good reason to be concerned
about what happens to frogs that are threatened by environmental problems.
For example, scientists found a way to make a new medicine that helps people who are in pain. They studied frogs
that live near in a country called Ecuador. These frogs have poison in their skin to protect it from predators. The scientists studied the structure of this poison, and were able to make a new medicine that helps people who have pain.
They are also studying the frogs that we talked about earlier that live in very cold areas. These frogs can be frozen
solid, and even have their hearts stop beating for long periods of time, then they come back to life. Scientists are hoping that by learning more about these frogs that maybe they can use this information to help transplant patients, or
people who have been in bad accidents.
Frogs and Weather
Frogs that live in cold regions, like ours, can’t be active all year round. When the weather gets cold, their bodies
cool down and they can’t move. As the temperature drops, frogs burrow a little ways under forest leases (so they won’t
freeze to death) and go into hibernation (sleep for the winter) until the weather gets warm again.
There is a kind of frog called a Wood frog that lives way up in the Artic Circle where it gets very, very cold. These
frogs have found some interesting ways to adapt to this cold weather.
When the temperature starts to drop, a Wood frog will bury itself, they go into hibernation, like the ones by us.
But as the winter gets much colder, their bodies make glucose that goes into their organs and bloodstream. Then the
frogs become completely frozen, like an ice cube! They can stay that way for up to two weeks without getting hurt.
They are the exact temperature as the ground around them.
When the weather become warmer, they thaw out: it’s like an ice cube coming to life! First, their heart starts beating, then they start gulping air and shaking their legs. Finally when the frog is full awake he can hop away!
Sing to Me Baby!
For some kinds of frogs, only the males (boys) can make sounds. Other types of frogs have both male and female
calls.
Why do frogs sing? Actually, for several reasons. And different kind of frogs sound very different when they do
sing. Large frogs have deep voices while tiny frogs sing in high chirps.
Frogs sing to:
Find a mate
Want to mark their territory (hey-stay away from here!)
Because they know the weather is going to change
When they are frightened or hurt
My, What BIG Ears You Have!
Most frogs have big round ears on the sides of their heads. But, on some, the ear is very hard to see.
Did you ever wonder how frogs can manage to get very load but not hurt their own ears? Some frogs make so
much noise they can be heard for miles. So, how do they keep from blowing out their own eardrums?
Actually, frogs have special ears that are connected to their lungs. When they hear noises, not only does the eardrum vibrate, but the lung does too. Scientists think that this special pressure system is what keeps frogs from hurting
themselves with their noisy calls.
Frog Groups
A group of fish is called a SCHOOL OF FISH
A group of geese is called a GAGGLE OF GEASE
A group of sea gulls is called a FLOCK OF SEA GULLS
A group of cows and bulls is called a HEARD OF CATTLE
A group of crows is called a MURDER OF CROWS
A group of rigorousness’ is called a CRASH OF RINOS
A group of frogs is called an ARMY OF FROGS
A group of toads is called a KNOT OF TOADS
Frog Myth’s & Fun Facts
Some Native Americans believed that frogs were the bringers of rain.
In China, when they look at a full moon, they see the “toad in the moon” not the man in the moon that we think of.
In Japan, frogs are the symbol of Good Luck
Some people will tell you that if you touch a frog, you may get warts. You really get warts from human viruses,
not from frogs and toads!
Did you know that Randiaphobia (ran-id-a-phobia) means fear of frogs?
General
• There is evidence that frogs have roamed the Earth for more than 200 million years, at least as long as the
dinosaurs.
• The world’s largest frog is the goliath frog of West Africa—it can grow to 15 inches and weigh up to 7 pounds.
A goliath frog skeleton is featured in Frogs: A Chorus of Colors.
• One of the smallest is the Cuban tree toad, which grows to half an inch long.
• While the life spans of frogs in the wild are unknown, frogs in captivity have been known to live more than
20 years.
• There are over 4,900 species of frogs worldwide. Scientists continue to search for new ones and estimate that
more than 1,000 frog species have yet to be described.
• Toads are frogs—the word “toad” is usually used for frogs that have warty and dry skin, and shorter hind legs.
Frog Physiology
• Frogs have excellent night vision and are very sensitive to movement. The bulging eyes of most frogs allow
them to see in front, to the sides, and partially behind them. When a frog swallows food, it pulls its eyes down
into the roof of its mouth, to help push the food down its throat.
• Frogs were the first land animals with vocal cords. Male frogs have vocal sacs—pouches of skin that fill with
air. These balloons resonate sounds like a megaphone, and some frog sounds can be heard from a mile away.
Locomotion
• Launched by their long legs, many frogs can leap more than 20 times their body length.
• The Costa Rican flying tree frog soars from branch to branch with the help of its feet. Webbing between the frog’s
fingers and toes extends out, helping the frog glide.
Camouflage
• To blend into the environment, the Budgett’s frog is muddy brown in color while the Vietnamese mossy frog has
spotty skin and bumps to make them look like little clumps of moss or lichen.
• Many poisonous frogs, such as the golden poison frog and dyeing poison frog, are boldly colored to warn predators
of their dangerous toxic skins. Some colorful frogs, such as the Fort Randolph robber frog, have developed the
same coloring as a coexisting poisonous species. Although their skins are not toxic, these mimics may gain
protection from predators by looking dangerous.
Surviving Extremes
• Like all amphibians, frogs are cold-blooded, meaning their body temperatures change with the temperature of
their surroundings. When temperatures drop, some frogs dig burrows underground or in the mud at the bottom
of ponds. They hibernate in these burrows until spring, completely still and scarcely breathing.
• The wood frog can live north of the Arctic Circle, surviving for weeks with 65% of its body frozen. This frog
uses glucose in its blood as a kind of antifreeze that concentrates in its vital organs, protecting them from dam
age while the rest of the body freezes solid.
• The Australian water-holding frog is a desert dweller that can wait up to seven years for rain. It burrows underground
and surrounds itself in a transparent cocoon made of its own shed skin.
• Frogs are freshwater creatures, although some frogs such as the Florida leopard frog are able to live in brackish
or nearly completely salt waters.
Mating and Hatching
• Almost all frogs fertilize the eggs outside of the female’s body. The male
holds the female around the waist in a mating hug called amplexus. He
fertilizes the eggs as the female lays them. Amplexus can last hours or
days – one pair of Andean toads stayed in amplexus for four months.
• The marsupial frog keeps her eggs in a pouch like a kangaroo. When the
eggs hatch into tadpoles, she opens the pouch with her toes and spills
them into the water.
• Pipa pipa, the Suriname toad of South America (an enlarged model of a female with froglets is featured in the
Museum’s Hall of Reptiles and Amphibians), carries her young embedded in the skin of her back. After mating,
the eggs sink gradually into the female’s back, and a skin pad forms over the eggs. The developing juvenile frogs
are visible inside their pockets for several days before hatching. They emerge over a period of days, thrusting
their head and forelegs out first, then struggling free.
• The gastric brooding frog of Australia swallows her fertilized eggs. The tadpoles remain in her stomach for up
to eight weeks, finally hopping out of her mouth as little frogs. During the brooding period, gastric secretions
cease – otherwise she would digest her own offspring.
• Among Darwin frogs, it is the male who swallows and stores the developing tadpoles in his vocal sac until
juvenile frogs emerge.
The Life Cycle of a Frog
Diagram of the Frog Life Cycle Mom and Dad Frog Decide to Have Baby Frogs
The life cycle of a frog starts when mom and dad frog fall in love and decide to have baby frogs. Okay, nobody
really knows if frogs fall in love, but it’s okay to think that they do. Mom and dad frog will mate, either in the water or
in a tree, depending on what kind of frogs they are. You know this is happening when you see dad frog hugging mom
frog from behind her. The dad frog will lay on top of mom frog and wrap his front legs around her body and he will
hug her for several days. This hug is called amplexus.
Spawning
While mom and dad frog are hugging, mom frog will lay a bunch of eggs for the dad frog to fertilize. Unlike human eggs, frog eggs are fertilized by dad frog when they are outside of the mom frog’s body. This is called spawning
and is the very beginning of the frog life cycle. After the mom and dad frog have finished spawning, dad frog leaves,
and sometimes the mom frog does, too. Sometimes mom frog will stick around, though, and wait for the baby frogs
to hatch so that she can care for them, but this only happens with some breeds of frogs, not all of them.
The Frog Eggs
Mom frog will lay a whole bunch of eggs because most of them won’t hatch. Some of the eggs will be eaten by
other small animals and birds, and some of them won’t become fertilized. Other eggs might become dried up in the
sun or get broken in the water. The eggs that survive will hatch after about 7 to 9 days and begin the frog cycle and
start the many life stages of a frog. But they don’t get to be frogs just yet; they have to go through the tadpoles’ life
cycle first.
The Tadpole
When frog eggs hatch they don’t come out as frogs right away, they have to start out as tiny little fish-like creatures
called tadpoles. In the beginning 7 days or so of tadpole development, a tadpole will eat the egg yolk that is still left in
its gut. The only parts to the baby tadpole are the gills, the tail, and the mouth. After about 7 days of tadpole development, the tadpole will begin to swim around on its own and eat algae from the top of the water.
Tadpole Development
About four weeks into the tadpoles life cycle it will begin to grow teeth and skin over the gills and will begin to
become social and swim in schools like fish. Then 6 to 9 weeks into the tadpoles development it will begin to grow
longer and develop a little bit of a head and some legs. At the end of the 9 weeks, the tadpole will look more like a
frog than a fish, but with a long tail. The tadpole will also start to eat things like tiny insects.
In areas of the world that have cold winter months or that are in very high altitudes, which also are sometimes very
cold places, the tadpoles life cycle takes all winter long to complete.
Frog Metamorphosis
From 9 to about 12 weeks, the frog metamorphosis starts to really take shape. The tadpole that looks like an itty
bitty frog but with a long tail (called a Froglet) will lose most of its tail, grow a frog tongue, and start to really look
like a baby frog. The whole frog life cycle model is completed after about 16 weeks when the frog becomes an adult.
Diagram of Frog Life Cycle
If you wanted to draw a diagram of frog life cycle, you might make it look like a circle, starting with eggs, and
then the baby tadpole. Then you would add legs to the baby tadpole and call that a ‘Froglet’. Then draw a full grown
frog, which points back to the eggs because the life cycle of a frog doesn’t end with the full grown frog. The full
grown frog will find a frog to love and to make more baby frogs with and begin the frog life cycle all over again.
What’s the Difference in a toad and frog life cycle?
Actually, toads are frogs. Toads are just called something different because they look a little different, but they are
all part of the frog family. Lots of people want to know what the difference is between a toad life cycle and a frog life
cycle. Mostly it’s the way that the eggs are laid and the way that the skin develops. The frog eggs are laid in clumps
and toad eggs are laid out in strands or lines. The skin of a frog will develop into slimy skin and the skin of a toad
will develop into warty skin, which is why people think that toads can give you warts. But if toads can give you warts,
why don’t frogs make you slimy?
Grow a Frog
So, if you were going to grow a frog, where would you start? Would you start with a tadpole or with an egg? I bet
you said egg. But remember that most of the eggs won’t live, so how do you know that you have a living egg? Maybe
starting with a tadpole would give you better luck when you are trying to grow a frog. Or, maybe you should start with
a mom and a dad frog. But then you might grow a hundred frogs and they would take over your whole room and turn
your walls green and sing you to sleep every night croaking… Okay, that’s another story! Start with a tadpole and you
will be able to watch the whole, very cool, frog metamorphosis.
Our articles are free for you to copy and distribute. Make sure to give http://www.frog-life-cycle.com credit for
the article.
Grow-A-Frog Items:
Grow a Frog from a Tadpole with Our Fun Complete Kit that comes with 2 Giant Live Bullfrog Tadpoles!
Live Pet Dwarf Frog Kits
Frog Life Cycle Models
Real Frog Life Cycle Display
We Sell the Following Exotic Pet Frogs!
Dwarf Frog
Whites Tree Frog
Tomato Frog
Live Tadpoles
Huge Frog Life Cycle Puzzle
Ceramic Frog Coasters with Stand
Tadpole Growing Kits
Red Eyed Tree Frog
Golden Tree Frog
Fire Bellied Toad
• There are lots of interesting frog facts that you might not know, and maybe some frog facts that you do already
know. Take a look at these frog facts and see what you can learn.
• Frogs are amphibians because they start their frog life cycle as eggs in the water and then turn into tadpoles,
which have gills and also live in the water. It isn’t until a tadpole turns into a frog that it can live outside of the
water, but it will still need to get in the water to drink and to cool off.
• Frogs don’t actually drink water with their mouths; they drink it through their skin. A frog’s skin absorbs water
when it is in the water so its body gets all of the hydration that it needs that way and the frog doesn’t need to
drink with its mouth.
• Frogs are cold blooded. That means that the body temperature of a frog is the same on the inside as it is on the
outside. That is why frogs need to be near water so that they can jump in and cool off on hot days.
• Frogs hibernate in the wintertime.
• When frogs hibernate their bones sort of grow a layer, like a tree does. When you look inside a frog’s bone you
will be able to see rings and tell how old the frog is by counting the rings.
• Frog fossils have been found all over the world except in Antarctica, probably because it is too cold all year
round there for frogs to live. Some of the fossils that have been found are as old as dinosaurs!
• A group of fish is called a school, but a group of frogs is called an army. Do you think that is why army colors
are green? A group of people is called a group.
• Not all frogs are green. There are hundreds of species of frogs and each one looks different. Some frogs are red
and some are yellow and some are brown. All of the different species of frogs have different patterns on their
skin, too.
• One way to tell a male frog from a female frog is by looking at its ears. The ears can be found right behind the
frog’s eyes. If the ears are as big as the eyes, then the frog is a boy. If the ears are smaller than the frog’s eyes,
then the frog is a girl.
• The male frog is the only one who can croak, and every frog species makes its own unique sound and some are
not even croaks. Some frogs whistle and some chirp like a bird.
• A frog won’t turn into a prince, no matter how many times you kiss him!
Our articles are free for you to copy and distribute. Please give http://www.frog-life-cycle.com credit for the article.
Other Articles for you:
Before you read any further, you have to say “Free Fun Frog Facts” five times fast. Having fun now? Cool.
Frog photos from the San Francisco Exploratorium: Froggie the Frog Store Proprietor took these photos with an
Olympus digital camera in June 1999. Click on the small thumbnails to see larger photos. Stop by the Exploratorium
if you get a chance - it’s a fun place!
Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens) This is a typical jumping frog, with powerful back legs. It’s native to the NE and
N-Central US.
African Clawed Frog (Xenopus laevis) This frog has big webbed hind feet, and is a good swimmer. Though it
lacks the vocal sack present in most frogs & toads, its call can be loud enough to be heard outside of the water. African
clawed frogs were once used for pregnancy tests. The woman’s urine was injected into a female Clawed Frog, and if
the frog began to lay eggs then the woman was pregnant.
Fire-Bellied Toad (Bombina orientalis) From Korea and north China, this frog has a spotted camouflaged back.
When startled, it flips over or bends backward to show its bright belly as a warning - poisonous! This toad lacks the
vocal sack that is present in most other frogs & toads, so its call is very weak and can only be heard over very short
distances.
Smoky Jungle Frog (Leptodactylus pentadactylus) From the Amazon Basin in South America, this big frog is 5”6” long. It spends most of its time in the jungle, away from ponds and streams. To keep her eggs moist, the female
oozes a liquid from her body, beats it into a frothy foam with her back feet, and deposits her eggs in the foam. The
outside of the foam hardens into a shell that protects the eggs and keeps them moist.
Western Spadefoot Toad (Scaphiopus hammondii) Native to California, the Spadefoot toad buries itself in the
ground during most of the day. It waits for a rainstorm to lay its eggs, and the tadpoles develop into frogs in just two
weeks - hopefully before the puddle dries up!
Gulf Coast Toad (Bufo valliceps) This toad is found in Louisiana, Texas, and along the east coast of Mexico. Its
tongue is attached at the front of its mouth, and it flips out its tongue to grab bugs.
Frog photos from the San Diego Zoo: These photos were taken in January 1999 at the San Diego Zoo’s frog exhibit by Froggie, the Frog Store’s Chief Frogperson, using an Olympus D-600L digital camera. Click on the small
thumbnails to see larger photos, and feel free to download them and use them as you wish!
Argentine Leaf-Folding Frog (Phyllomedusa sauvagii) These frogs reproduce by depositing a gelatinous clutch
of eggs into a leaf funnel over water, by folding a leaf and gluing it together with a sticky bodily secretion. Tadpoles
hatch and fall into the water below!
Smooth-Sided Toad (Bufo guttatus) The “warts” behind the eyes are called parotid glands, and produce powerful
toxins that interfere with a predators heart function if ingested. In other words, eating this toad could cause death due
to heart failure. Is it OK to just kiss the toad?
Dyeing Poison Arrow Frog (Dendrobates tinctorius) This poison arrow frog is found in Guyana, French Guinea,
and Surinam along the northern Brazilian border. Toxins from the frog’s skin must enter the bloodstream to be lethal.
Natives believe that an irritated frog, when rubbed on a bald spot of a parrot, will cause the feathers to grow in red.
Cool! - but, not verified.
Blue Poison Arrow Frog (Dendrobates azureus) One of the largest poison arrow frogs, up to 2” long, this frog is
found only in a single partially wooded savannah region of Surinam. It was discovered in 1969. A spawning frog lays
just 4-6 eggs under leaves by a pool. Fortunately, these rare frogs have been successfully bred in captivity.
Oregon Coast Aquarium Frog Photos: The following photos were taken at the Oregon Coast Aquarium frog exhibit by our own distinguished Frog Store proprietor. In the interest of worldwide frog awareness, you may download
and use these photos free, as long as they are not used for immoral or socially unacceptable purposes! If you make
money with these photos, we suggest you use it to buy frog stuff.
Click on these shamelessly compressed files to bring up higher quality images (about 30KB jpeg files). Photos
were taken with an Olympus D-600L digital camera, then cropped and resampled to make them smaller.
The Tomato Frog (Dyscophus antongilii) is from Madagascar. This species is endangered, but there is a species of
Tomato Frog called Dyscophus guineti that is not endangered and is sometimes available from reptile dealers.
These three little White’s Tree Frogs (Pelodryas caerulea) are nestled in the fork of a tree in a small puddle of
water. These frogs are from Australia.
The Red-Legged Frog (Rana aurora) is from northwestern North America. This one is about 2-1/2 inches long.
These little guys are Pacific Tree Frogs (Pseudacris regilla), and they’re 1 to 1-1/2 inches long. They are found in
western North America.
This African Bullfrog (Pyxicephalus adspersus) looked like he was having a bad frog day! He’s huge and warty,
a good 6” across the middle, and had settled himself into a nice mud puddle. A fully grown one can be the size of a
football!
This is a picture of a ‘banana box’ frog, sent by Craig Cleeland from Australia. Actually it is a Dainty Green Tree
Frog from Queensland, Australia but these frogs grab a ride on produce such as bananas as they are shipped down
south to places like Victoria. It is estimated that 6,000 to 8,000 frogs end up in Melbourne (Victoria, Aust.) from
Queensland each year.
There is a group called the Victorian Frog Group that go around and collect the frogs before they are thrown back
out into the environment to die of exposure (cold) and possibly also spread diseases.
Three cheers for Craig and the Victorian Frog Rescuers!!
Randall and Sharla of Baker City, OR sent in this wonderful photo of a Pacific Tree Frog that they spotted while
on a hike.
Becky, a self-confessed frog freak, sent in this photo and says:
“We went outside to sit on the swing the other night and saw this cutey on our huge hostas plant. Just sat their
letting me take a ton of pics! You can’t see it but he has a bright yellow underside, just so pretty!” (This is in NW
Arkansas.)
Froglady Sabine from Wisconsin wrote to say she thinks this is a northern cricket frog. They are quite small and
delicate, becoming rare in some areas where they used to be prevalent like here in Wisconsin and make a sound like
someone clacking river stones together when they sing.
Meldra writes: “This little guy jumped from our driveway into a box we had waiting for a good burn day. I found
him peeking up over the edge -- he did leave the box before we burned it. Photo taken with my Nikon 995 digital
camera, in Washougal, WA.” (Pacific Tree Frog)
Beth found this pretty little Northern Leopard Frog on a canoe trip down the Missouri River in Montana.
These three photos were sent in by Bart van Oijen from Holland. The two photos above show the common brown
frog, Rana Temporaria. The photo at left is the common green frog, Rana Esculenta.
Bart writes: Hereby you find a frog who jumped on my camera! Am I lucky to have a spare camera... With kind
regards from frogcountry Holland.
Before you read any further, you have to say "Free Fun Frog Facts" five times fast. Having fun now? Cool.
Frog photos from the San Francisco Exploratorium: Froggie the Frog Store Proprietor took
these photos with an Olympus digital camera in June 1999. Click on the small thumbnails to see larger
photos. Stop by the Exploratorium if you get a chance - it's a fun place!
Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens) This is a typical jumping frog, with powerful back legs. It's
native to the NE and N-Central US.
African Clawed Frog (Xenopus laevis) This frog has big webbed hind feet, and is a good
swimmer. Though it lacks the vocal sack present in most frogs & toads, its call can be
loud enough to be heard outside of the water. African clawed frogs were once used for
pregnancy tests. The woman's urine was injected into a female Clawed Frog, and if the
frog began to lay eggs then the woman was pregnant.
Fire-Bellied Toad (Bombina orientalis) From Korea and north China, this frog has a spotted
camouflaged back. When startled, it flips over or bends backward to show its bright belly
as a warning - poisonous! This toad lacks the vocal sack that is present in most other
frogs & toads, so its call is very weak and can only be heard over very short distances.
Smoky Jungle Frog (Leptodactylus pentadactylus) From the Amazon Basin in South America,
this big frog is 5"-6" long. It spends most of its time in the jungle, away from ponds and
streams. To keep her eggs moist, the female oozes a liquid from her body, beats it into a
frothy foam with her back feet, and deposits her eggs in the foam. The outside of the
foam hardens into a shell that protects the eggs and keeps them moist.
Western Spadefoot Toad (Scaphiopus hammondii) Native to California, the Spadefoot toad
buries itself in the ground during most of the day. It waits for a rainstorm to lay its eggs,
and the tadpoles develop into frogs in just two weeks - hopefully before the puddle dries
up!
Gulf Coast Toad (Bufo valliceps) This toad is found in Louisiana, Texas, and along the east
coast of Mexico. Its tongue is attached at the front of its mouth, and it flips out its tongue
to grab bugs.
Frog photos from the San Diego Zoo: These photos were taken in January 1999 at the San
Diego Zoo's frog exhibit by Froggie, the Frog Store's Chief Frogperson, using an Olympus D-600L digital
camera. Click on the small thumbnails to see larger photos, and feel free to download them and use them
as you wish!
Argentine Leaf-Folding Frog (Phyllomedusa sauvagii) These frogs reproduce by depositing a
gelatinous clutch of eggs into a leaf funnel over water, by folding a leaf and gluing it
together with a sticky bodily secretion. Tadpoles hatch and fall into the water below!
Smooth-Sided Toad (Bufo guttatus) The "warts" behind the eyes are called parotid glands,
and produce powerful toxins that interfere with a predators heart function if ingested. In
other words, eating this toad could cause death due to heart failure. Is it OK to just kiss
the toad?
Dyeing Poison Arrow Frog (Dendrobates tinctorius) This poison arrow frog is found in
Guyana, French Guinea, and Surinam along the northern Brazilian border. Toxins from
the frog's skin must enter the bloodstream to be lethal. Natives believe that an irritated
frog, when rubbed on a bald spot of a parrot, will cause the feathers to grow in red. Cool!
- but, not verified.
Blue Poison Arrow Frog (Dendrobates azureus) One of the largest poison arrow frogs, up to
2" long, this frog is found only in a single partially wooded savannah region of Surinam. It
was discovered in 1969. A spawning frog lays just 4-6 eggs under leaves by a pool.
Fortunately, these rare frogs have been successfully bred in captivity.
Oregon Coast Aquarium Frog Photos: The following photos were taken at the Oregon Coast
Aquarium frog exhibit by our own distinguished Frog Store proprietor. In the interest of worldwide frog
awareness, you may download and use these photos free, as long as they are not used for immoral or
socially unacceptable purposes! If you make money with these photos, we suggest you use it to buy frog
stuff.
Click on these shamelessly compressed files to bring up higher quality images (about 30KB jpeg files).
Photos were taken with an Olympus D-600L digital camera, then cropped and resampled to make them
smaller.
The Tomato Frog (Dyscophus antongilii) is from Madagascar. This species is endangered,
but there is a species of Tomato Frog called Dyscophus guineti that is not endangered and
is sometimes available from reptile dealers.
These three little White's Tree Frogs (Pelodryas caerulea) are nestled in the fork of a tree
in a small puddle of water. These frogs are from Australia.
The Red-Legged Frog (Rana aurora) is from northwestern North America. This one is
about 2-1/2 inches long.
These little guys are Pacific Tree Frogs (Pseudacris regilla), and they're 1 to 1-1/2 inches
long. They are found in western North America.
This African Bullfrog (Pyxicephalus adspersus) looked like he was having a bad frog day!
He's huge and warty, a good 6" across the middle, and had settled himself into a nice
mud puddle. A fully grown one can be the size of a football!
All meetings are at 9:00 a.m. – on the first Saturday of each month (except July and September) at different locations throughout St. Louis County and City. All are Free. No RSVP’s are required, everyone welcome. The Children’s
Garden Club is designed to educate, as well as bring delight in gardening and horticulture with projects children can
start themselves and take home to continue to grow and enjoy.
2011 Calendar of Events
No RSVP’VDUHUHTXLUHG
All events are free and begin at 9:00 DP
Remaining Dates
October 1
Frogs & Fun!
For the Garden – Haefner’s Greenhouse / 6703 Telegraph Road
November 5
Winter Bulbs
Sherwood’s Forest Nursery and Garden Center / 2651 Barrett Station Road
December 3
Holiday Decorating
Sherwood’s Forest Nursery and Garden Center / 2651 Barrett Station Road
2012 Dates
January 7th
February 4th
March 3rd
Use of dried material
Baisch & Skinner, Inc. – 2721 LaSalle Street
Fun Things To Do In The Garden
Sappington Garden Center – 11530 Gravois Road
Growing in The Garden - Guest Speaker
Sherwood Forest Nursery & Garden Center
2651 Barrett Station Road
April 7th
Plant, Grow Eat. For the Garden @ Haefner’s Greenhouses
May 5th
Museum of Transportation Annuals – Vegetable
June 2nd
Grilling Vegetables from the Garden & Pineapples Too
Sherwood Forest Nursery & Schnucks Markets
July 14th
Topic not recorded location Chesterfield Nursery
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