A toad tale

Joshua and the plague of toads.

Remember the story about Moses and the plague of frogs - like that could ever happen, right?  I was very impressed by the show of nature on this early summer's day near Bend, Oregon.  My kids were swimming with their mom, and I was out meandering about with my camera.  As I approached an oxbow lake, created by a stream some years ago, I was taken aback by what I witnessed.  There, stacked thousands upon thousands, were young spadefoot toads which had just matured from tadpoles into small adults.  There were massing for their dispersion into the great beyond.

It was a remarkable sight, and I knew what to do immediately.  There is nothing like a show of nature to really impress young minds on how wonderful life it.  I left for the pool and told my family that there was something they had to see, but I did not tell them what.  It was to be a surprise, and I suspected that it would remain with them forever.  So I gathered everyone up, hand in hand, the swim not yet finished, and we headed for the pond.

As we approached the shoreline, I instructed everyone to spread out.  Holding hands and stretching out to form a line, we proceeded slowly down the embankment.  Then it happened. The edge of the pond moved. Another step and the result was the same, only even more pronounced.  For thirty feed in both directions, parallel to the shore, an enormous hoard of toads (called a knot) moved away from us.  Thousands, ten of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands strong, they hopped away a foot or two then stopped.  As we got closer their hopping frenzy escalated.

Then, when he could stand it no more, my son broke ranks and dove into the swarm.  He plunged his hands into its midst and extracted a double fistful of the creatures (inset).  Pleased as punch he was, that in one svelte embrace he managed to capture a number of toads that could have been listed in the Guinness Book of Records.  His sister was much less enthusiastic about the affair, although she remembers the event well.  She was probably only five or so at the time. 

What I love about this story is that it was an experience we all shared and that we all remember.  It was a testament to the wonders of nature and a unifying event for the family.  Who knew that the simple toad could do that.