Northern Leopard Frog – the Star of the Show 🐸📸

Long time no see! Or… uh… read.
With the summer winding down, my fun vacation days are coming to a close, and it’s back to work for me!

This week, my thoughts were on a rather peculiar topic: warts.
Strange- I know. But when you’re lying on your back staring up at the ceiling in boredom, your mind tends to wander to strange places. One thought led to another and-BAM!-I was thinking about frogs.

And now, here we are.

Frogs have always been one of my favorite things, believe it or not. My mother still has a picture of me as a kid ,wearing a tutu and proudly holding a frog. (Naturally she thinks it’s the funniest thing ever to show visitors.) Growing up next to a canal, frogs were a frequent “tourists” in my yard, and it was only natural that I became an adept frog catcher at a young age.

But there’s a lot more to frogs than may meet the eye – whether it is fascinating truths or long told myths.

Luckily, I spotted this northern leopard frog by a stream the other day and managed to get some up close and personal pictures. (No really- my camera lens was this close to his face.) Thankfully, he was a good sport and handled it like a star born for the limelight!

For centuries frogs ( and especially toads) have been linked to warts. Some people still believe that touching them causes warts to grow. But don’t worry- that long-lived myth has been thoroughly debunked. And thank goodness for that, or I’d have been doomed years ago!

The truth is, frogs are full of interesting facts. For example, female northern leopard frogs can lay up to 7,000 eggs on waterside vegetation (yes, that’s three zeros!). Of course, with so many predators, not all of these tadpoles make it – but the large number of offspring increase their chances of survival.

Even more surprising, these frogs sometimes turn on their own kind. They’ve been documented eating each other as well as their offspring, making them a bit cannibalistic. But don’t be too quick to judge these little guys- cannibalism is actually quite common in the animal kingdom.

Last fun fact: the northern leopard frog is the state amphibian for both the state of Vermont and Minnesota! No wonder this little guy was such a natural in front of the camera!