Ever since my tender childhood years I have had to live with the folk-belief that frogs are benign wee creatures and that toads are evil and responsible for warts if touched. Well , I am a full-fledged legal senior..... living out my wisdom years.....and I say "phony baloney" to the latter !! My sons and I have handled both these amphibians constantly over the years and have caught " diddley-squat"! Furthermore , how about what our common folklore throughout the world has taught us about frogs and toads....... portraying the former as sitting on lily pads while the latter hunker down on " poisonous mushrooms " called toadstools. Now I have spent most of my life near forests , ponds , creeks , streams , rivers , lakes , etc and have never caught one of these li'l buggers sitting where he/she/it should be..............
soooooooo I decided to do something about it and see what it looks like in real life !! Out I went into our backyard where frogs , toads and toadstools abound.... usually at this time of year. Unfortunately I could not find a toad ... so I grabbed a frog and plunked his behind down on a mushroom and took a pic. The poor little guy was so mezmerized he didn 't budge for about ten minutes..... then hopped on his merry way ..... just like in my old fairytales. Whether he felt out of place or simply petrified by the sudden events I'll never know ! Should I have the patience later on this Summer Ill try to catch a toad and take him over to Lac Neigette where there are oodles of lily pads........ and reverse folklore once again !!
P.S. The title picture is of Der Froschkoenig , a well-known East German folktale about Princess Henriette , the Frog-King and a promise gone awry. Should pic not appear .... kindly hit " magnify " icon.
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