It’s 1:00 AM, 15°c right now, and raining, which means it’s just enough for the frogs to be happy, and I provide proof:
When first spotted in the headlamp, this green treefrog (Dryophytes cinereus) was in a better pose, but I didn’t have the camera in hand then and so we get this one after I returned twice more trying for a better shot. If you look close at the at one finger, you might believe that the frog was offering commentary, and it wouldn’t be the first time. It still makes me wince – not from the impudence which I’m well used to, but the idea that mine won’t bend that way without distressing sounds, from the joints and from me.
Atop the greenhouse, another viewed my perambulations with a jaundiced eye. Or maybe not – do you think I read too much into these?
Don’t ask me why I notice things like this, but the frog is maintaining a more level position while perched on the sloping greenhouse roof, and it occurs to me that, despite seeing them clinging in countless vertical positions, when they turn to face horizontally in any way they seem to get close to level. I would surmise that awareness of gravity helps them calculate their trajectories when jumping, but that’s the best I can offer at the moment. Nonetheless, it seems to happen even in the absence of visual cues.
Given the size, coloration (which isn’t too much of a indication, since it can change for individuals,) and location on the greenhouse, I’m assuming that this is the same individual as our spring herald – who may be getting annoyed at this point because we’ve dropped below freezing in the intervening time, and will likely do so again in the next few mornings. Still, no snow, so no complaints here. Well, about the weather, anyway…
And the pansies (Viola x wittrockiana) that The Girlfriend planted in late December, after faltering a little in the last Indian Winter, have bounced back and provide a splash of color for the season with some drop caps for the evening/morning. They all gave me just a little to shoot while waiting for the better conditions.