Despite Blogger being a pill and insisting on posting these photos sideways, I had to share because this little guy is a harbinger of good things--rain! He's a Couch's spadefoot toad, and he emerges when the summer rains arrive. It's not the moisture that draws him; they sense the thunder and vibrations from storms, and that's what wakes him up. Cool nature! Slightly toxic skin secretions, but not as dangerous as the Colorado River toad, which is 8 inches of nasty toad poison that can kill a dog that mouths it. Mr. Big nosed this guy, and Cuddle Monster completely ignored it, but my heart was racing a few minutes until I realized what kind of toad it was. Big clue--this guy is only a couple of inches long, and not warty, but at 9:30 p.m., in the dark, he looked much bigger and scarier at first. Really, he did. Okay, maybe I was overreacting a little, but this is only the second toad I've ever seen in my backyard. And given the dog emergencies that have happened recently, my nerves are a little on edge. Have a little consideration for my poor nerves, a la Mrs. Bennett, please?
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