I spent part of yesterday helping a couple of friends with some much-needed yard work in preparation for spring. No, these aren't the friends in question--they're two frogs I ran across in the process! On the left is a northern red-legged frog (Rana aurora), while the green one on the right is a Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla). Both are quite small, under two inches long.
I felt bad for disturbing them, but with temperatures in the fifties it was warm enough they could relocate themselves to someplace safe before nightfall. (The yard is full of all sorts of great little hidey-holes if you are a small critter.) And all the debris that was picked up just ended up in the compost heap, so any invertebrates hiding there would still be safe, since nothing gets bagged up or burned.
I want to say spring is here early, but we're getting a cold front moving in early next week, so it'll be time to batten everything down again. Still, we're due for much milder conditions than lots of other folks this time of year, so I'm not complaining.
