It appeared to be a small leaf on the outside of the porch screen. I was hoping it was not the excrement of a bird who would have had to fly sideways to hit the screen in such a fashion. But I have seen it happen! I decided to remove the leaf (or whatever) off the screen from the inside with a flip of my finger. But upon closer scrutiny, the leaf had legs. Not more than an inch in length, it was a wee lime green tree frog with his legs held tight against his body, his heart pulsing in his throat. I touched his belly through the screen but the wee frog was motionless. I thought, “I will watch to see if he is there tomorrow.” He wasn’t. Maybe it was the same one. I will never know. But the next evening on the back porch light, the same size and coloring wee frog was sitting. He had an ideal perch with all the insects swarming around the light. Within the next week, I watched as he doubled in size. The heat was oppressive and I wondered where the frog went during the day since he was gone each morning. "Perhaps behind the shutters," I thought. One of those hot, hot days, he was on the wall of the porch. His bright lime green coloring was almost gone. Instead the now much larger tree frog was a sickly pale tinge of green . He seemed to be panting rapidly. I went inside and got a small pitcher of water to pour over him. When I did so, he leaped straight at me. Ducking and stumbling backwards, we avoided collision. His legs were long! He disappeared under the deck and I have not seen him since. I fear there is a garter snake living under the deck like the troll in “Three Billy Goats Gruff” because the salamanders with whom my little dog played are no longer appearing either. When I checked in Wikipedia about the wee tree frog, a map doesn’t include southern Indiana in its territory. But climate change is making a difference in many animal’s domiciles. Because of its small size, many people keep these amphibians as pets but they do not like to be handled (or have water poured over them!). A vertical tank is recommended for their climbing aptitude. Other wildlife events occurred in the neighborhood. One evening I saw a completely white fox heading towards the building where the vixen has had her den for the last couple of years. Of course, my little fox terrier had to bark when she saw the albino fox and he turned, retracing his steps back into the woods. I was so struck with his coloring and wondered at first if it was a misplaced arctic fox but realized his ears were too large and pointed. And me with no camera! Last summer, I had seen a couple of fully grown foxes come to visit the vixen when she had kits in the den. The visitors greeted the vixen with tails wagging and “high fives”—standing on their back feet and touching paws. It was a joyful but short visit. I wondered if the albino fox had intended a visit to mom? Another evening I saw three animals come close together and then separate, each going his own way. Remarkably it was a young deer, a rabbit and a fox. The deer and rabbit seemed to enjoy being close to one another for a while but when the fox came into the field, the rabbit hopped hurriedly off. Although the fox could not have missed seeing the rabbit, his intentions were elsewhere and trotted by the deer pausing only briefly (Did they exchange greetings?) then moved on nonchalantly. The twig and branch pile I have started in the back was examined by a male brown thrasher who later brought his mate for approval. They did not nest under the twigs. I will continue to improve the branch pile. Maybe next year. How do they survive in a ground nest with cats crossing through the yard constantly? Maybe that was the deterrent. A pair of catbirds hung around for a while, too. They were more friendly than one would expect, flying close and landing on the fence not two feet away from me. They kept me company while I gardened and now that I do not see them, I miss their presence. This beautiful, bountiful wildlife brings me happiness and peace of mind. Photographer, Paul Oxton, writes, “No matter how few possessions you own or how little money you have, loving wildlife and nature will make you rich beyond measure.” So true.
[email protected] ©Ann Rains July, 2021
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