canoeguy
US Veteran
The wife put in a garden fountain this Summer, it has been a blessing to birds, deer, raccons, etc. with it's three tiers of running water during this dry season.
We even had a frog move into it, took a picture of it to identify:
Come to find out, it is a "Pickerel Frog", so named because of it's popularity as bait up North. It is also the only poisonous frog in North America, seceting a toxin when stressed that is irritating to humans, and potentailly fatal to small predators. Our neighbor lost a cat when it ate one.
I bear the frog no ill will, I think he is pretty cool, and welcome to stay in the fountain. Maybe if "The End Of the World As we Know It" occurs, I can make poisonous tipped arrows from his toxic secretions like the natives do in South America (curare).
From the University of Wisconsin Biology Department website:
"To remain healthy, Pickerel Frogs eat a balanced diet of ants, spiders, bugs, beetles, sawfly larvae, and other invertebrates. To find and catch these critters, Pickerel Frogs search the grassy areas next to streams. In case of attack, Pickerel Frogs have an excellent defense mechanism: they emit skin secretions which are irritating to people and toxic to some predators. This toxicity makes the Pickerel Frog the only poisonous frog native to the United States. Because of this, most snakes and mammals will leave Pickerel frogs alone. Still, this frog does have some predators. Green Frogs and Bullfrogs, for example, have developed immunities to the secretions, and are always happy to munch on a Pickerel Frog snack. And in fact, the name "Pickerel Frog" was coined because this frog often served fishermen well as their bait for the predatory Pickerel Fish. However, despite the Pickerel Fish's fondness for Rana palustris soup, it must be noted that in this case the real predator is, of course, Man and not the Pickerel Fish, for it is Man who catches these frogs and places them on the fishing line. And unfortunately for the Pickerel Frog, a small amount of skin toxin will not stop Homo sapien."
We even had a frog move into it, took a picture of it to identify:
Come to find out, it is a "Pickerel Frog", so named because of it's popularity as bait up North. It is also the only poisonous frog in North America, seceting a toxin when stressed that is irritating to humans, and potentailly fatal to small predators. Our neighbor lost a cat when it ate one.
I bear the frog no ill will, I think he is pretty cool, and welcome to stay in the fountain. Maybe if "The End Of the World As we Know It" occurs, I can make poisonous tipped arrows from his toxic secretions like the natives do in South America (curare).
From the University of Wisconsin Biology Department website:
"To remain healthy, Pickerel Frogs eat a balanced diet of ants, spiders, bugs, beetles, sawfly larvae, and other invertebrates. To find and catch these critters, Pickerel Frogs search the grassy areas next to streams. In case of attack, Pickerel Frogs have an excellent defense mechanism: they emit skin secretions which are irritating to people and toxic to some predators. This toxicity makes the Pickerel Frog the only poisonous frog native to the United States. Because of this, most snakes and mammals will leave Pickerel frogs alone. Still, this frog does have some predators. Green Frogs and Bullfrogs, for example, have developed immunities to the secretions, and are always happy to munch on a Pickerel Frog snack. And in fact, the name "Pickerel Frog" was coined because this frog often served fishermen well as their bait for the predatory Pickerel Fish. However, despite the Pickerel Fish's fondness for Rana palustris soup, it must be noted that in this case the real predator is, of course, Man and not the Pickerel Fish, for it is Man who catches these frogs and places them on the fishing line. And unfortunately for the Pickerel Frog, a small amount of skin toxin will not stop Homo sapien."
