Today’s focus is the Bullfrog (Rana clamitans). During my kayak outings, I never fail to see lots of these American icons as I float about the area. And recently, their activity has been quite pronounced. One of the things that is so interesting is to launch the kayak a while before sunrise and float out into the area. It is usually very quiet at this time, but shortly after sunrise, one bullfrog will begin it’s patented bellowing. As soon as it starts, seems like the whole area comes alive with other bullfrogs chiming in! Here are a few images I took during my last kayak outing this past Thursday.
This first image is a closeup of a bullfrog, at the edge of the water. This is another example of why I like shooting wildlife from a kayak … you can sometimes get amazingly close, due to the stealth nature of slowly gliding in, as well as sitting low in the water.
This next image was made because I really liked the reflection of the frog in the early morning light.
This last image was a standoff between a bullfrog and a Diamondback Water Snake (Nerodia rhombifera). While sitting still in the kayak, I saw the snake swimming towards the bullfrog. When it was a couple of feet from the frog, the snake stopped and measured up the frog. Then, for whatever reason, the snake turned and headed towards the shore. When it reached the shore, it crawled onto the bank and into the vegetation. I’m sure the snake could have taken the frog if it tried, but for some reason, frog legs were not on his menu!
In the last image, you can also see that the American Lotus (Nelumbo lutea) are really beginning to grow. Up until the last few days, the only signs of the water plants were the lilies lying on the water surface. But over the last 5 days, the plants have thrown their shoots upward, high out of the water. It won’t be long now until there are some opportunities for some great macro shots of the flowers and nectar-seeking insects attracted to them!