Tag Archives: amphibians

Beginning of the amphibian life cycle

After a walk at Wahkeena Nature Preserve, Bob and I stopped to chat with Robyn. Robyn is one of the naturalists at Wahkeena, and she’s the author of the Wahkeena Nature Preserve blog. Robyn asked us how our walk went. I mentioned that I had seen lots of amphibian eggs in pools of water, but I didn’t know how to tell the difference between frog eggs and salamander eggs. She offered then and there to show us the difference.

We went to a little pool and Robyn lifted up two groups of eggs from the water.

Eggs of wood frog These are frog eggs, specifically those of a wood frog.

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Wahkeena in June

Bee in Water Lily

Bee in Water Lily

We stopped by Wahkeena Nature Preserve this past weekend; unlike our previous trip, we didn’t hike the trails there. Instead we focused on the marsh, pond, and streams. Water lilies were blooming in both the pond and marsh, and as you can see above, bees were busy pollinating them.

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Amphibians at the Inniswood pond

Whenever I’m at Inniswood Metro Gardens, I stop by to see what’s happening in this tiny, municipal wetland. And right now, tadpoles are what’s happening.

Tadpoles

These tadpoles were really big.

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Ohio’s 15 species of frogs and toads at a glance

An article entitled, Ohio’s Frog and Toad Species, states that there are 15 species in our state. To help me to learn to identify these species, I wanted to see photos of all 15 on one page. I selected a representative photo for each species from Flickr.

Keep in mind that a single species may vary a lot in color. Below each photo, I note the range of colors that are possible for that species.

Toads

The “True” Toads

Eastern American Toad (Bufo americanus americanus)

Eastern American Toad
Eastern American Toad;
Photographed by me at Inniswood Metro Park

The Eastern American toad does vary in color. It may be reddish, gray, or tan.

Fowler’s Toad (Bufo fowleri)

Fowler's Toad
Fowler’s Toad;
Photographed by me at Earl H. Barnhart Buzzards’ Roost Nature Preserve in Ross County

The Fowler’s toad may be brown, tan, gray, or light green. Note that the warts on the Eastern American Toad are very pronounced, while the warts on the Fowler’s toad are smoother looking. This is especially true of the warts on the hind portion of the two species of toads.

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