Frogs -- Glacial Park, Ringwood, IL

Spent three plus hours yesterday walking in Glacial Park in Ringwood, IL, one of my favorite places on earth. It's full of gorgeous vistas and vast wide-open spaces. There are numerous types of habitat found there, and one of them is wetland. This means that you see a lot of frogs as you walk along some of the trails. Frequently, you don't really see them until you startle them walking past and they jump to get away from you. I was blessed with the opportunity to photograph a number of frogs during my visit there yesterday. Some of them sat still for a surprisingly long period of time while I photographed them from numerous angles, while others were on the move and I was lucky to get one good picture of them.


Frogs are one of those animals that every kid seems to have a fascination with. I confess I've never outgrown mine. There is just something cool about them: their slick skin, their bright colors and interesting patterns, the way they move, the croaking and chirping, and, perhaps most significantly, the fact that they're small enough to catch and hold in your hand. I didn't try too hard to catch any of the frogs I photographed yesterday, though I did make a weak effort to grab the first one. I think mostly this is because I know they are usually so slick they can easily slip out of your hand and way, so it never quite feels like it's worth the effort to try and catch them. Also, perhaps, I have slightly outgrown the desire to grab something that leaves a slimy residue on my hand.

Anyway, here are the pictures. Hope you enjoy them.