Shaded Out
Invasive American Bullfrogs shade out indigenous species….
Monochromatic gang of frogs
Rob habitats with tints and shades of
Rana catesbeiana green.
Cause devasting impact
To spectrum of amphibian species
Who were once native to vibrant ecosystems.
In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Monochromatic.“
Love this photo and message. Well done.
Thank you, Nick. I appreciate that you liked both the photo and message… This was an intriguing challenge. When I went out to shoot photos this morning, the warm weather brought out a herd of bullfrogs. This one was, by far, one of the largest. No Northern Red-legged Frogs in this wetland…
~Jane
this must be the best photo Ive seen on the challenge this week. Totally riveting. You must have been up close and personal with that frog – or a long lens. We have the same problem in Australia. Cane toads. They are disastrous, ugly, poisonous things, destroying the native green tree frog population.
Your composition certainly gives the bullfrog a menacing appearance, Jane – well done!
Debbie, you bring a smile to my face:) Thank you for the lovely compliment!
You were correct with your second suggestion- it was a long lens. I used my Tamron 150-600… I love this lens more and more every time I use it.
I’m not fond of our disastrous Bullfrogs… but am glad they are not poisonous. In fact, they were cultivated as a food source. Too bad the craze didn’t catch on; perhaps they would not have been released so abundantly into the environment… It’s sad to learn about the threat to your native green tree frog population.
~Jane
Great shot, Jane. Debbie has already shared our cane toad story!
Thanks D & M-
A menace? Indeed!
And… perseveringly patient… I had hoped to capture a shot of this one jumping. Only action I observed was the frog creeping forward a bit; then settled down with eyes above water. Waiting; for what I won’t know! It held steadfast even when I waved my arms, tossed a couple sticks in the grass, and lobbed a rock into the pond… after about an hour or so… I gave up!
Yes, Ken, and they sound very unpleasant. I’m curious… must give a Google to see what they look like 😉
Have a pleasant weekend.
Back from Google-
Yikes! A problem that’s been on the move across your country for quite some time. Interesting they were introduced in 1935 to organically deal with beetle problems in the sugar cane fields. If only they knew then…
http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/3f534390-51d6-45b5-8411-9a3913814027/files/cane-toad-fs.pdf
Absolutely, Jane. They are offensive and advancing aggressively. Not the first time something introduced has turned into a major pest, and probably won’t be the last.
Yep… what’s that saying?
“It’s not nice to (mess) with Mother Nature…”
I think we humans are oftentimes the (fool)s.
🙁
Where I live in East Texas, I have only one bullfrog in my pond (at least, that’s all I hear), and this week, I actually saw it three times and got some pictures very similar to yours, and I was excited to finally see it! But I had no idea they were invasive anywhere, so I looked them up in my trusty Audubon guide and found out about them being introduced into the NW for a food source (as you said in your comment above). I wonder what keeps the population down in this area – maybe all of our snakes? We have a lot of egrets and herons, but you have those too.
So thanks for teaching me something! Again!
Wow, fantastic shot!
Jane, I’ve been reading about the bullfrogs and their take-over of natural habitats. It’s tragic. Same thing is happening in Nicaragua with our Cane Toads. Horrible. But, your photo is really a beauty. Did you recently change themes on your blog? I really like this theme. Was it difficult to change?
It is a thing to wonder about, Textile Ranger… what keeps a species population in balance and “native” in one ecosystem; but causes it to go out of whack and invasive in another. Trophic systems, habitat, climate… so many processes and cycles come into play. Bullfrogs are a marvel in size, sound, and behavior. I wish they were natives here so we could feel excited to see them as you are. In Oregon, it’s open hunting season, without need for a license, year-round. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife really have no sympathy for them. BULLFROG FACT SHEET
I’m so happy you learned something on the blog, and appreciate your kind compliment. It means a lot <3
🙂 Thank you!
Debbie-
You are the third person to mention the Cane Toads! They are a huge problem in Australia, too. I’m troubled to hear your beautiful ecosystems are burdened by both Bullfrogs and Cane Toads.
Thank you SO much for noticing the theme change. I really like the way photos “pop” on this one and think the text is elegant. It was a big decision to leave the “magazine” look behind for the more traditional single column. It wasn’t too difficult to change, I liked being able to experiment in the customization window. I’m sure little things will turn up that need tweaked, but the move from my last theme to this one was fairly seamless. The widgets were in the same place- at the bottom of the blog- it’s my non-expert opinion that was key in the ease of jumping from one to the other.
PLEASE, feel totally welcome to share any further feedback. Your opinion is one I value a lot.
~Jane