Green Frog photos from 2012

[UncleChester]

Some Northern Green Frogs, Rana clamitans melanota, from last year. (click on images for larger size if desired)

Found late march while I was out looking for breeding American Toads and Leopard frogs. The Greens weren't in breeding mode yet but the big ones had mostly woken up from a very hot few weeks,


Early May, floating in some scum at the edge of the stream behind my house. The stream has almost no current to speakof most of the time (except after a big rain) and has about a foot of muck to sink into at the bottom. Probably ideal for wintering in for a frog, but awkward for a wading human trying to get close to the frogs,


This lady is messed up. She summers in a small ornamental pond and I've been watching her for 3 years now. She used to be totally black but as she's grown the black has spread out to be blotchy and green is showing up. Her iris is near black, not the usual shiny gold,


Late May, the males are out and eager to breed. This guy wouldn't call for me, but his manly forearms and yellow throat indicate he's ready to do battle for the ladies,


Early June, they'll call even in the middle of the day. He took some encouraging though, when you get this close to them they do stop and try to remain quiet. I did my best attempt at imitating a calling Green Frog and he just couldn't resist calling back. After a couple of minutes of this, he actually jumped at me. They are territorial, especially when in breeding mode, so I'm pretty sure he thought I was competition. I conceded the area to his might and impressive vocal sac,


Since the tadpoles of a Green frog take at least 1 year to mature this far north (possibly 2), this one is the result of the 2011 or maybe even 2010 breeding season. Taken mid June it's very vulnerable right now to the army of ribbon snakes patrolling the edge of the pond as well as the adult Green Frogs that seem willing to jeopardize their own genetic survival by eating their own young,


This is the standard way to spend a hot Ontario summer afternoon, hanging out on a dock with your toe dipped in the water and a mosquito on your leg,


I've seen my Gray treefrogs shed many times, and I've seen a few wild Gray treefrogs shed, but I had never before seen any sort of Ranid shedding.Then I found two in the span of a week. The second one is nearly done, but you can still see the skin bunched up in the corner of its mouth,


A couple of partially axanthic Green frogs- these two are missing yellow pigments in their heads, making for a pretty blue. I'd assume they are related since this is a genetic thing and they are from the same pond. The one on the left is a big female, and the one on the right is a decent sized male whose colours made him deserving of the portable white studio treatment,


Not pictured here are the dozens of tiny leeches I earned taking this photo. I spent a good half hour picking leeches off locations that I'd rather not have to pick leeches of of. I now carry a salt shaker with me to the pond. I think the result was worth it,


Big male still out early morning in September,


A couple from the mucky ponds at the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens, early October. Thousands of plants to look at and I was still chasing around frogs (and a toad and a snake or two),


We had a 'recreation' theme at our local camera club where we incorporated an older photo into a new one taken at the same location (inspired by the 'Dear Photograph' thingy). Of course I had a few frog ones. This was taken mid October where the water was much colder than in the original, the leaves were much more colourfull, and thankfully there were much fewer leeches,


Thanks for looking at my Green Frog year in review.

[deranged chipmunk]

Brian, what can i say, but wow. so very cool. thanks a lot for sharing these pics. and the narrative compliment the pics very well

[John]

Wonderful, Brian! You know, I really think you would be an awesome pro nature photographer. I have to ask - how do you get so close to the bullfrogs? At what focal length are you working?

[UncleChester]

Brian, what can i say, but wow. so very cool. thanks a lot for sharing these pics. and the narrative compliment the pics very well

Thanks Bill, glad you enjoyed them!

Wonderful, Brian! You know, I really think you would be an awesome pro nature photographer. I have to ask - how do you get so close to the bullfrogs? At what focal length are you working?

Cheers John! They're all Rana clamitans though, no bullfrogs:P. If the back isn't visible for the dorsolateral ridge confirmation, rest assured I checked it out.

Except for the very last one (with no live frog in it), they're all taken with a Pentax DFA 100mm macro on an aps-c crop body, an aging k100d. In practical terms this means to get a 3" frog to fill up the frame the front of the lens hood ends up about 13" away from the frog.

Their absolute first defense is crypsis, primarily achieved by being green and not moving. So as long as you move very, very slowly, you can creep up to them. Before they realise you're well within their comfort zone and it's too late for them to risk fleeing so you can pretty much take your time as long as you continue to move very slowly. Approaching from the water side is also helpful, as you're directly blocking their flight path so they tend to stay still with less effort. This approach is obviously wetter.

I usually try to creep back the way I came to avoid disturbing a subject that has treated me well, but sometimes if I'm on shaky footing I just try to get out without putting the camera in the drink. For the head on view of the frog in the water above combined with the leech assault I stood up and got out as quick as I could. Standing up this close to the frog meant it would immediately take the risk and dove into the water to avoid being eaten.

Know thy subject and don't be shy about getting your trousers filled with swamp water.

[flybyferns]

Brian, These are just wonderful shots.

"portable white studio treatment" love it !

Lynn

[flybyferns]

" Their absolute first defense is crypsis, primarily achieved by being green and not moving. So as long as you move very, very slowly, you can creep up to them. Before they realise you're well within their comfort zone and it's too late for them to risk fleeing so you can pretty much take your time as long as you continue to move very slowly. Approaching from the water side is also helpful, as you're directly blocking their flight path so they tend to stay still with less effort. This approach is obviously wetter"

You have been very dedicated to taking these great photos!
Leeches--- yuck - I have picked enough of the little suckers off myself in the Catskills.
Gives me the shivers just thinking about !!!

Thanks for sharing - It's a great forum 'topic' area

[deranged chipmunk]

Their absolute first defense is crypsis, primarily achieved by being green and not moving. So as long as you move very, very slowly, you can creep up to them. Before they realise you're well within their comfort zone and it's too late for them to risk fleeing so you can pretty much take your time as long as you continue to move very slowly. Approaching from the water side is also helpful, as you're directly blocking their flight path so they tend to stay still with less effort. This approach is obviously wetter.

I usually try to creep back the way I came to avoid disturbing a subject that has treated me well, but sometimes if I'm on shaky footing I just try to get out without putting the camera in the drink. For the head on view of the frog in the water above combined with the leech assault I stood up and got out as quick as I could. Standing up this close to the frog meant it would immediately take the risk and dove into the water to avoid being eaten.

Know thy subject and don't be shy about getting your trousers filled with swamp water.

this just sounds like another saturday night in my bedroom.....LOL

[UncleChester]

Brian, These are just wonderful shots.

"portable white studio treatment" love it !

Lynn

Thanks Lynn! I love my portable studio! I like photos of frogs in their natural environment of course, but I think there is a different appreciation of a critters colours and form that can be had when photographed in total isolation.

this just sounds like another saturday night in my bedroom.....LOL

This is simultaneously disturbing and awesome.

[deeishealthy]

That made me lol.

Amazing frog shots. Last year I had a frog calendar and these could easily have been in it. Beautiful.

[MatthewM1]

Awesome pictures! I can't wait for the snow to melt and the Frogs come out of their winter slumber. There is a pond near me that large amount of greens come to to breed. I was there one day last year and there had to be close to 50 pairs in amplexus along the one side I was looking at alone. It's a rather large pond on a disc golf course, I'm gonna try to get some pictures of it this year. That was the start of what I didn't know would turn into a frog addiction =p