From the porch
Frogs have a thousand voices
Dwight Otwell

"Ribit". "Croak". How many different sounds do frogs make?

If you are a fan of Kermit the frog (the heartthrob of Miss Piggy) or if you love to listen to the evening sounds of frogs singing in the night, there is a special treat available for you.

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is looking for a few good ears. It wants volunteers to drive through frog neighborhoods and stop and listen.

You can become an expert on frog language. The commission wants people to help them monitor the frog and toad population, because there is a worldwide decline in frogs and toads.

I don't think the population of frogs and toads has declined. I believe they have just migrated to my neighborhood. In the summer, they have parties all night. If I walk outside and yell "Shut up," they stop for about 20 seconds and then continue their celebrations.

I love the frog bass section. The bullfrogs who reside in the pond in back of our house contribute their booming deep croaks to the summer evening song fests.

If you decide to participate in the program, entitled the "North Carolina Calling Amphibian Survey Program," you will attend free training workshops. You will also receive a free copy of the "Frogs and Toads of North Carolina" CD.

I am thinking of volunteering just so I can get that CD. Wouldn't it be great on a long road trip to slip that CD into the player and listen to frog and toad croaks for a couple of hours?

I wonder what they do at the training sessions. Perhaps they have a man who imitates various frog sounds. Perhaps they simply listen to recordings of frogs with flashcards indicating what kind of frog or toad just said "Ribit."

Because I was writing about frogs, I read a little about the creatures. I discovered that when the temperature approaches freezing, some frogs and toads burrow deep into the ground and hibernate.

Hibernating animals are protected from low temperatures, but they are unable to resume activity until spring arrives. Some toads employ similar strategies to escape the heat.

For instance, spadefoot toads may hibernate during the summer (estivation) or until it rains. Cases have been documented in which spadefoot toads have remained in estivation for several years and finally emerged to breed upon heavy rainfall.

Frogs (along with other amphibians and reptiles) will also hibernate during the winter. Some frogs even possess antifreeze agents which impart freezing resistance. These agents prevent water from crystallizing in the cells, which would eventually cause death.

Now that you are excited about frogs and toads, maybe you will think it a happy ending for a movie or story if the prince is turned into a toad.

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