The Creatures in my Backyard - Toads

Now the traditional theory is that little girls don't like frogs or toads, and we have all heard the story of how Johnny stuck a frog in Susie's desk at school and scared her half to death. But not so strangely I was never like Susie. Ever since I was little I have loved going out at night and scouting the lit areas of our yard for those warty creatures called toads. I would catch one, examine it, then put it in a bucket and catch some more. When I was done and had caught all the toads in that small vicinity I could catch I would tip the bucket over and watch them fall over each other trying to be the first to get out to safety. The poor creatures. And I wasn't alone most of that time either. Our pit bull/golden retriever Bucky was my pal. I called him my toader. He followed me around and got so excited over my activities that he would join in. The unlucky toad would find itself one moment in Bucky's mouth and then spat out the next. No matter how many times we warned him he continually picked the toads up in his mouth and spent the next five minutes salivating. He never harmed them though. Sadly, my poor "Toader" is no longer with us. I try to get his daughter, Gracie, interested, or Gracie's mother Lucy, but the don't cherish the toady flavor like Bucky did.

Even now I find myself fascinated by the amphibians. Used to, when our pool was open, we would catch toad after toad in the skimmer, and then there were the frogs. They were a real trial. Shooting to and fro in their natural habitat.

What incited this blog on toads was a visit to the dogs area. We keep a light out there so we are able to see them if need be in the dark. And boy do the toads like this. They sit out there eating to their hearts content. One time I watched one of the larger toads eating a tick I had found and I thought, "Here's the solution to our tick problem." I have some videos of it actually. Some time soon I'll upload them. I found the toads like June bugs better. You'll see what I mean in the video.
Its awesome the way God made them so alike and yet so different. One toad will be dark green and brown with bulbous warts while another will have dark red skin and faint warts. To speak honestly, I haven't done a lot of reading on these amazing amphibians or I might be able to give you more scientific facts.

Another thing about them is the way they respond to human interaction. Some will remain extremely still no matter how you poke or prod only moving as a last resort. Others will jump and struggle with all their toady little might to free themselves from your grasp. One very distasteful practice that deters quite a few people from enjoying their "companionship" is their practice to urinate when afraid. Its an excellent defense for the toad but rude to the bearer. I've learned to hold them from the waist up until I'm sure they aren't going to use this defense or are finished.
My sisters don't share my joy in this pastime of catching toads but its their loss.
And no, I have never kissed one.