This guy

In sorting photos the other day, I’m fairly certain I found the little shit that’s been infecting so many people around the country, the lazy sod that became a super-spreader through a lack of personal hygiene. Take a look at this guy:

foreleg of green treefrog Hyla cinerea pretty damn filthy
You tell me: has this guy ever washed his damn hands?

Seriously, this is the way that I found him, clinging to the storm door of the back porch – it’s lucky he even had the tackiness to stick. I’m pretty sure you can make out individual bacteria in there. Makes me recall (involuntarily) the days when my nieces were feeding themselves in their high-chairs – nobody would let me bring the hose into the house, though I argued persuasively about both the time-saving and the amusement factors. The back feet were impressive too, in a completely disgusting way.

hindleg of green treefrog Hyla cinerea ever worse
This – is why it’s a bad idea to require people to take their shoes off when they enter your house. I’ve seen cleaner lollipops that had been dropped on the carpet of a dog-filled home. Cleaning out the bathroom sink trap is less disgusting. But that’s today’s frog mothers for ya – just plop the eggs down into the pond and forget about ’em, it’s somebody else’s problem now. Appalling.

I hadn’t been trying to illustrate Infectious Irwin here, I was just after the detail of the feet while he was displaying them against the glass, and there are probably few applications for these particular photos (unlike, you know, all of the other creepy damn things that I shoot.) Finding out just how filthy treefrogs, or at least this one, really are was an unintended bonus – sure, they look all slick and shiny from a moderate distance, but this should keep you from shaking hands with one.

But there was one more detail that I inadvertently captured.

closeup of green treefrog Hyla cinerea eye showing shadow of toe in flash reflection
It’s subtle and would escape the attention of many unless I pointed it out, but there’s a round, soft-white reflection of the macro softbox on the eye – blocked by a toe of the treefrog. Actually, there are three blocking the softbox light, but the middle one is most distinct – yeah, that wasn’t lost on me. I have to assume this is one of our ‘educated Republicans.’ Probably dead now.

All that aside, there has been little to relate herein, and I’m only involved in various projects myself, mostly things around the house and this isn’t a DIY blog, so you’re spared. I did try and go out last night as a spate of thundercells moved across the state, but they mostly passed north of Walkabout Estates and didn’t show any distinctive lightning, plus the wind was blowing a fine misty rain directly into the lens, so I wrapped it up quickly. So, yeah. There is a holiday coming up I believe, so we at least can look forward to that exuberant celebration and caroling and… stuff.

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