Tree Frog

[ysabetwordsmith]

So far the strangest thing to get into my office around the air conditioner is a tree frog.  I heard a rustle, thought it was a mouse, looked around and found ... a little gray lichen-colored frog.  :D  I picked him up in a tissue and put him outside.

I didn't even know we had tree frogs.  All I've ever seen around here are common toads.  I've only seen tree frogs in the forests at local parks.  How flattering!  I looked up amphibians of Illinois and believe this was a Cope's gray tree frog. 

Comments

[alatefeline]

*happy flail* Adorable frog is adorable!

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

He really was incredibly cute. I like amphibians. I think it's amazing to find tree frogs way out here in the middle of all the cropland.

Apparently this type of frog likes to sleep in trees during the day, and come out at night to hunt. That explains what he was doing around the bug magnet that is my office window. I assume he followed the food inside. I'm glad that I found him so I could put him back outside. I don't mind killing noxious critters, but I try to avoid harming the beneficial ones.

Re: Yes...

[alatefeline]

>> That explains what he was doing around the bug magnet that is my office window. <<

Yup, makes sense. I mind me of one hotel I stayed in where I was kept up all night by the local lizards going *click* when they shot out their tongues to catch a bug...

>> I'm glad that I found him so I could put him back outside. I don't mind killing noxious critters, but I try to avoid harming the beneficial ones. <<

Are you the official rescuer of spiders, bees, mice, crickets, and so on for your household? It's an honorable position, and rarely but doubly worthy of esteem when coupled with the title of swatter of bitey things.

Re: Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Things that can bite or sting, I usually squash. Mice and other vermin are to be disposed of. Honeybees or bumblebees I may try to catch if they are moving slowly. The less aggressive spiders I'll take outside. Fireflies and amphibians always get put outside if I can catch them.

Re: Yes...

[alatefeline]

Mice are odd for me. I am deeply fascinated with the tiny furriness of TINY FURRY MOUSIES and it makes me want to pounce on them and get a good close look and watch them run around and catch them again. But while my cat side insists on chasing, some sort of human-ish overblown mammalian sympathy makes me want to keep the tiny cute critters safe. And so while I KNOW they are vermin from a household or yard perspective, the mutually clashing signals end up with me erring on the side of being "nice" and going for long walks to rescue and release mice found indoors. Even though I know it's pointless.

Re: Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Mice are odd for me. I am deeply fascinated with the tiny furriness of TINY FURRY MOUSIES and it makes me want to pounce on them and get a good close look and watch them run around and catch them again. But while my cat side insists on chasing, <<

LOL yes, they are playtoys and snacks for many of my shapes. I enjoy watching them in tanks at pet stores, too. But if I haven't eaten recently, it makes me hungry, and then it's harder to resist the temptation to just eat them which this body is not equipped to do.

>> some sort of human-ish overblown mammalian sympathy makes me want to keep the tiny cute critters safe. And so while I KNOW they are vermin from a household or yard perspective, the mutually clashing signals end up with me erring on the side of being "nice" and going for long walks to rescue and release mice found indoors. Even though I know it's pointless.<<

That's okay. Do what works for you.

Being a furry or a shapeshifter depends on being able to find compromises between forms that want or need very different things.

Re: Yes...

[alatefeline]

Nodnod nodnod.

*watches pounceable critters on Youtube because HANDS*

Re: Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Have you seen the kind of cat toy that has a ball inside a larger plastic ring? It seems like the kind of thing you might enjoy.

Re: Yes...

[alatefeline]

I have seen those but I don't know...I would happily play with those with a four-legged critter who wanted them, but what tends to capture my attention in cat-mode is dangly things. *swipe*

The nice bit about this is, again, I can wear my own dangly scarves and necklaces and such. Although this cat toy does remind me of some jingly jewelry I have, a gold-tone bracelet covered in little jingly bits that I got at a a Renaissance Fair, which is lots of fun to wear - but not if I am going to be hanging out anywhere *with* anyone because I will jingle it every. second. of. every. minute. And if I forget and stop jingling, it will make a sound as soon as I move and recapture my attention.

Stealing a word I saw earlier today, jingly jewelry is an excellent annoyatron.

Re: Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I have seen those but I don't know...I would happily play with those with a four-legged critter who wanted them, but what tends to capture my attention in cat-mode is dangly things. *swipe* <<

Window streamers, maybe? You'd have to attach them securely enough not to come loose when batted around, but I have several such items. Here's an example in crepe paper. Mine are either cloth with satin ribbons, or plastic with mylar.

>> The nice bit about this is, again, I can wear my own dangly scarves and necklaces and such. <<

Yay!

>>Although this cat toy does remind me of some jingly jewelry I have, a gold-tone bracelet covered in little jingly bits that I got at a a Renaissance Fair, which is lots of fun to wear - but not if I am going to be hanging out anywhere *with* anyone because I will jingle it every. second. of. every. minute. And if I forget and stop jingling, it will make a sound as soon as I move and recapture my attention.<<

*laugh* My standard Faire garb includes ankle bracelets with bells and a hip belt with bells or a coin belt.

For a while I wore freedom rings as a necklace, and I had spirit bell pendants. Oh, and the wind-chime one. Most of my current jewelry is quieter though.

>>Stealing a word I saw earlier today, jingly jewelry is an excellent annoyatron.<<

:D

Re: Yes...

[alatefeline]

>> My standard Faire garb includes ankle bracelets with bells and a hip belt with bells or a coin belt. <<

Sounds fabulous!

[chanter1944]

Oh cute! :) Thank you for putting the visitor back outside. I'd expect nothing less from you, but other folks are... less concerned with the ecosystem.

Well...

[ysabetwordsmith]

My standard rule is based on territory: Outdoors is for wildlife, and I try to avoid harming things unless they are really causing a problem. Indoors is for humans, and anything straying into it is fair game for destruction. But even indoors, I dislike killing beneficial wildlife. Amphibians are valuable insectivores, and I've never seen this kind of tree frog here before. So I'm glad I found him and could take him outside.

[shiori_makiba]

Cute!

We get frogs hopping around the porch - usually little green ones - but once and a while they get in the house. When that happens, I try to catch it and get it back outside before one of our cats kills it.

[(Anonymous)]

That is adorable. I once had a little frog make its way into my purse when I was sitting outside. I opened my bag to put my notebook away, and he was just peeking up at me, blinking. Random interactions with Nature are cool.

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Wow.

My frog gave me a funny look too. Like, "What, haven't you ever seen a frog before?" Not in my office, no.

[khaleesigirl12]

Aww, cute little frog! I love frogs and toads! When I was little, my sister, my neighbor's kids and I would keep frogs in one of those plastic child's wading pool. We'd put a little sand in it, some rocks, and some water. Once summer was over, we'd release the frogs.

Anna

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

For a while I was keeping summer water gardens in wading pools. I would stock them with feeder goldfish, bullfrog tadpoles, and water plants. Usually the frogs would grow up and leave on their own. One year I got a slow one and had to keep him in an aquarium for a while before taking him out to a lake to release.

[rhodielady-47.livejournal.com]

I've seen one or two over here in Indiana that looked like that.
:^)

[amaebi.livejournal.com]

*envy*

[filkferengi]

It's got a rather harsh call, a bit like mockingbirds.

Still, if one must labor under inconvenient conditions, at least there can be quirky visitors.