Although it’s getting late, frogs are still up and about on Poor Farm Swamp lily-pads. I was pleasantly surprised to see a fair number as I walked the rail trail this past Sunday morning and found this handsome rake shortly after the turtle that I posted on Tuesday.
American Bullfrog-Lithobates catesbianus with a few Lily-pad Planthoppers-Megamelus davisi in Poor Farm Swamp.
At this late date one wouldn’t expect to capture a favorite for the year but this guy is just that. He’s young, handsome, relatively unmarred, and has some nice chest marking along with beautiful eyes. I posted this as a large file just so you could see the eye detail and bugs. I wasn’t aware of the bugs when composing this which was shot with the zoom full out and doubled to 800mm. I focused primarily on the eye so didn’t even see the planthoppers until on the big screen. And, of course, seeing those wonderful webbed feet is a plus too. And the light! Can you tell that I am enthusiastic about this one? 😀
Stephen Gingold Nature Photography Blog 
At first I thought him lonely, perched on his pad, then saw your bugs comment and opened up to find.. he’s not alone at all 😀 ~such a lovely frog, and with a great gleam in his eye!
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He’s a young one so I imagine does have companionship on his mind. I am not sure the planthoppers do it for him though. 🙂 He must not be very hungry or they wouldn’t be there I’d think. 🙂
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Did you know that rake in the sense that you used it is a shortened form of rakehell?
https://www.etymonline.com/word/rakehell?ref=etymonline_crossreference
Your “relatively unmarried” is an interesting turn of phrase.
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Yes, I did know that from checking to be sure it was a somewhat accurate usage.
That would be an interesting turn of a phrase if that’s what I wrote. Unmarred…and no, I didn’t edit.
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Wow, my morning mind read it as “unmarried.” Strange. I’ve come up with some interesting things over the years by misreading a word or phrase. You probably remember the Reader’s Digest, which was printed in two columns on each page. My high school friends and I would sometimes read across the column break to see what strange phrases we could generate.
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I do the same as I get up often at 3 or earlier and comment when I am not entirely awake.
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He is a handsome one. Speaking of unmarred or unmarried, I wonder if there’s a dating service for frogs where “young, handsome, relatively unmarred, [with] some nice chest marking along with beautiful eyes” would attract attention from the girl-frogs.
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🙂 I am pretty sure that is the exact translation for all the croaking we hear.
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I’m sure that such a fine frog would be in great demand – and relatively unmarried if he’s a hit with all the ladies. (I saw it that way too!)
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Ah, yes. A ladies’ frog he must be. 🙂
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Very nice Steve! Always enjoy your frog images!
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Thanks, Reed. Pursuing them is always a fun outing.
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Your Frog Friday posts always bring a smile. Best, Babsje
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That’s great to hear! Thanks, babsje!
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He looks like he just told a joke and even though I didn’t hear it, I smiled.
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Whoops. I commented on this in the previous post. LOL I’ll go add another comment. He does look like he is laughing to himself.
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He is a fine specimen – well done, Steve!
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Thanks, Eliza! I am amazed that I am still finding good models.
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It has been unusually warm lately. 70s this week!
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He looks so delightfully smug, I think he must have had great luck with other available recent morsels.
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Smug as a bug with that mug. He does appear well fed. One wonders why he wasn’t scarfing down all those hoppers. Maybe their exoskeletons make then less palatable than a nice fleshy fly.
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Your enthusiasm is completely warranted in my book! One of the things I like, aside from all that you mentioned, is the subtle coloration overall. And when you see it blown up it’s like he’s grinning, just thinking about that meal right in front of him. He’s at the buffet table. 🙂
It’s always heartening to know that at least where you live, frogs are still going strong.
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They always seem to be grinning. I’ve only shot a few “grumpies”. In the two ponds I faithfully visit there seems to be an endless population of them. That’s good news and I hope they maintain or even increase their numbers.
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