Frogs need water

Frogs need water.

The word amphibian comes from Greek meaning double life- one on land and one in water.

Colombia spotted frogs are a combination of olive green and light brown with a mix of black spots. They have a light-colored strip along their upper lip. Their back feet are webbed more than other frogs because they spend most of their time in the water.

Amphibians are sensitive with absorbent skin. They send signals about the health of an environment and the message is clear. We need to clean it up. We need more water.

Frogs symbolize wealth and abundance in native cultures. When a frog is shown in artwork with its tongue touching another creature, it represents the sharing of knowledge and power.

This frog lives mainly in western North America and wants to be in lakes, ponds, slow-moving streams, and marshes. They need water to be steady, and not dry up completely or go away. A beaver pond could be perfect.

Colombia spotted frogs particularly like cattails as a breeding ground. The male prepares the area prior to the female’s arrival. She shows up following the male’s call and lays the eggs for the male to fertilize. The eggs become a thick free-floating softball-sized cluster that soon turns into hundreds of tiny tadpoles.

At maturity, males are about 3” long while females are larger at almost 4” long. After combining efforts to make more frogs, frogs prefer to live alone. A lot of the tiny eggs will not make it to adulthood because they are often consumed by fish and other animals.

The Colombia spotted frog eats a variety of small things, including grasshoppers, wasps, moths, ants, spiders, snails, algae and many plants.

This frog needs to hatch, grow into a frog, stay alive, and produce offspring before getting consumed by another animal- all while having enough water and food sources to stay alive. It’s not easy being green.

It’s not easy being Green, Kermit’s song

It's not that easy bein' green
It seems you blend in
With so many other ordinary things
And people tend to pass you over
'Cause you're not standing out
Like flashy sparkles in the water
Or stars in the sky

But green's the color of spring
And green can be cool and friendly like
And green can be big like an ocean
Or important like a mountain or tall like a tree

Watch the video. Ribbit.

-Mary Ann Petersen, Guest Blogger

Mary Ann is a writer living in Eugene, Oregon. In a past life she may have been a beaver. If not, she was definitely a kingfisher or a crow.
www.maryannpetersen.com