Our Friend, the Frog

Michelle, at Rambling Woods, has asked us to consider the frog in our posts, since April 30 is Save the Frogs Day.

I have always had a love of frogs and toads. I'm not sure why, but I have always thought them to be such sweet, harmless little creatures. At the last home that I owned, there were always many tiny toads in the yard. At my present home, I occasionally find one of the larger varieties. When I would walk along the nature trail through the wetlands up at Cape May Point, where the phragmitis grew very tall and thick along both sides of the trail, I loved to hear the hundreds of peepers singing in the spring. Michelle has quoted Adrian Forsyth as describing this as "...a song of poetry and emotion." I could not hope to describe it better. And whenever I visited Leaming's Run Gardens, I would search out the big old bullfrogs in and near the reflecting pool.


But our friends, the frogs and toads, as well as many other amphibian friends, are in trouble these days. They may not be with us very much longer.


Scientists are telling us that ALL frogs and toads may disappear from the earth unless action is taken very quickly. During the past ten years, 170 different species have already been wiped out completely. I find it staggering to think there ever were that many different species, let alone that many gone forever. There are several thousand more still with us, but not for long if present conditions continue. They are being lost because of pollution, global warming, and loss of habitat due to expanding agriculture and other development. They are also disappearing because of a terrible problem called chytrid fungus, which has been killing them through dehydration for many years now. A plan has been developed called the Amphibian Ark, which is asking all zoos, aquariums, and botanical gardens to accept 500 of one species each, to clean them and nurture them for as long as it may take to develop a means of controlling this fungus, and then releasing them into the world once again.

Why do we care? We care very much about our friends, the frogs, because they have a very important place in nature. They are, of course, part of the food chain. Other animals depend on them. They are also important to humans, helping to control mosquitoes. And most importantly, they provide extremely vital help in developing life saving medicines - even for the treatment of Aids.

If you are willing and able, you might want to contribute financially. You can donate through the Planet Ark, which is located in Australia. www.planetark.org/donate/