Tree Frog

Funny thing happened today. My wife and I were just a stones throw away from home on our way back from a local nursery where we purchased a small tree when she cried out, "Oh! A frog!!" Trying not to hit it with the truck, I slowed and took a careful look on the street to see if I could spot it. Then I thought it was strange that there would be a frog on the street in our neighbourhood.

I looked over at my wife to see her staring at the dashboard. So, I followed her gaze, and there it was. A tiny tree frog sitting right between the glass and the vent. I wasn't long getting parked in the driveway where my wife jumped out to get something to put it on. She rushed out of the garage with a newspaper, which the little guy jumped onto right away. It was a short trip from the truck to the flower bed where I snapped a few quick shots of it before it went hiding under a Dwarf Alberta Spruce.

After a little research I found this little guy to be a Drab Tree Frog (smilisca sordida). It's a native of Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, Columbia , and Nicaragua. What the heck it's doing here... I don't know. Oh I guess they're found all over the place now.

Lady's Slipper

It's Father's Day! Today my Dad shared a thirty year old secret with me. It may not be much of a secret, but it was certainly something I knew nothing about. What is it you ask? It's the location of a beautiful patch of Showy Lady's Slipper Orchids (Cypripedium reginae). I've never seen these flowers in the wild, or in real life for that matter. Okay, while I'm at it, I've never even seen orchids of any kind growing in the wild. I guess I don't get out much.
My Dad used to do a lot of coon hunting... a LOT. He knows this area like the back of his hand. It was about thirty years ago while hunting that he spotted them, and earlier this spring, he told me he'd take me out for a photo oppotunity. A great opportunity it was. There were dozens of them. The mosquitoes kept our stay to a brief half hour, but I plan on returning next year.