For no particular reason, other than because I saw this one hopping around on a sand bar of a creek today…
Here’s a photo of a toad.
Woodhouse's Toad. The Nature Conservancy's Platte River Prairies, Nebraska.
For more information on Woodhouse’s toads, you can refer back to an earlier post from early April.
A few years ago, I found this toad in one of our restored prairies along the Platte River. It was late April, and the toad was in mesic prairie, about 10 yards from the edge of a wetland swale. It (she?) had made itself a perfectly-fitting little depression to sit in and was content to sit still while I photographed it.
A Woodhouse's toad in restored prairie.
My assumption is that it was enjoying the warmth of the sun in the recently-burned prairie and was dug in to stay out of the cool breeze (and maybe to keep a low profile to predators). However, knowing the knowledge base that exists among my blog readers, I’m confident that some of you will add to and/or contradict my assumption! …and I’d welcome that.
This particular toad is a Woodhouse’s toad, and is my personal favorite toad species because of it’s call. You can listen to its distinctive “WAAAAAAAAAAAHHH” call here.
Another shot of the same toad, showing more of the context of the prairie around it.
The Prairie Ecologist 