Nature clicks #243 - Gray Tree Frog

 

This is our “house frog”, a little Common Gray Tree Frog. It lives on our balcony, under a canopy of grape vine leaves and between flower pots that we have outside during the summer. The 4 - 5 cm long (1.5 - 2 inch) frog is always good for a surprise and we see it quite often. The Gray Tree Frog can change its color in seconds and this helps it to blend in with tree bark or leaves. They are nocturnal and spend the day resting in trees and shrubs, or like this one, in the plants on our balcony. One of the most interesting facts is that the frog is capable of surviving freezing of their internal body fluids to temperatures as low as -8°C (17.6°F).

It took me quite some time to figure out how to light my subject and to make these photos in very low light between the branches of a Crassula ovata plant. Luckily the frog was cooperative and didn’t move too much. The best results were obtained by using a camera off flash, pointing upward, and using just the light that bounced back from the grapevine leaves that grow above.

Garter Snake's dinner

 

I promised you yesterday some more exciting things from my trip to the Green Island Wetlands last Sunday. While driving slowly on a dam between two ponds I suddenly saw a Garter Snake on the gravel road. The snake didn’t move away because it was busy with a Leopard Frog. The frog didn’t look too good, it was already dead, probably hit by a car. The Garter Snake didn’t care about how the dinner looked and starting swallowing its prey.

The snake didn’t worry too much about my presence, neither did I worry about the snake. Garter Snakes are harmless for humans and we see this species more than any other snake in our area. Shooting from above didn’t appeal to me and the only option to get an interesting perspective was to put my belly in the dirt.

It wasn’t long before only a frog leg stuck out of its mouth that the snake moved to the water and disappeared between the reeds…

Nature clicks #173 - Green Frog

 

The Green Frog is found only in the eastern half of Iowa. I read that they seem to compete with bullfrogs and in Iowa they are rarely found where bullfrogs are common (source: The Salamanders and Frogs of Iowa by J.L. Christiansen & R.M. Baily). However, in the Green Island Wetlands both species can be found. This one here came to the boat ramp where we launched our kayaks. I wished I had a different lens with a polarizer on camera to eliminate some of the reflections on the frog's skin but other than that I was happy with this photo opportunity.

Nature clicks #95 - Bullfrog

Nikon D300s, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM

Another animal I have seen before but never had a chance to make a picture of is the Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana). Yes, that is the guy who provides the frog legs for restaurants… It is the largest frog native to the United States. Bullfrogs need water that is deep enough to support tadpoles through the winter. Here in Iowa they require two years for their tadpoles to develop. Further south they need only one year for their development. Bullfrogs feed on insects, fish, snakes, other frogs, and even small birds. Oh yes, they have a big mouth...

This photo was not easy to make. The light was extremely harsh and bright. The water surface reflected the sky like a mirror. I dialed in -2EV exposure compensation and approached the frog slowly from the side, close to the water level. I tried to find an angle that would allow to eliminate at least some of the reflections. As you can see I found the right angle but I had no chance to get rid of the reflection on the Bullfrog's skin. How about a polarizer? Well, I don't have one with 86mm diameter that would fit the Sigma 50-500. And I'm not planning to buy one either. Loosing up to two stops of light with a lens that starts at f/6.3 @ 500mm is not really an option for me.

I'm happy about the click, even if there is room for improvement. The abundance of frogs is always a good indicator that the environment is in a healthy state. As someone who loves nature I can't ask for more.

*The information about Bullfrogs provided in this post is based on the publication "The Salamanders and Frogs of Iowa" by Dr. James L. Christiansen and Dr. Reeve M. Bailley.

Nature clicks #91 - Northern Leopard Frog

Nikon D300s, Sigma 150mm / f2.8 APO EX DG HSM

Not far from our home is the John Deere Marsh. This marsh belongs to the National Wildlife & Fish Refuge on the Upper Mississippi River. As the name suggests, it is located right behind the big John Deere plant here in Dubuque. The Little Maquoketa River joins the Mississippi in this area and both rivers have shaped the marsh. Joan and I had a little hike there today and beside enjoying the extremely warm weather we were watching out for migrating birds. Beside the always present Mallards, we saw American Coots, Northern Shovelers, and Blue-winged Teals on the lake that is part of the marsh land. We also made our first encounter of a few Northern Pintails. None of the ducks was within shooting range and so it didn't bother me a bit that I left the 50-500 at home today.

Instead I had the Sigma 150mm/f2.8 on camera, simply because I wanted to make pictures of frogs. Mating season is in full swing and there are probably thousands of frogs having a great time at the moment. This Northern Leopard Frog was hiding between old leaves along the levee that surrounds part of the lake. Direction and quality of the late afternoon light was good. I just darkened background and foreground a little in order to make them less busy and less distracting.

Can frogs read?

 

This little Treefrog took the invitation above the entrance hole of the bird box literally. Makes me believing its reading skills aren't too bad… ;-) The picture was taken in our neighbor's backyard.

What you don't see is me, standing on a ladder, the camera with the 150/f2.8 and flash light in one hand, and holding the branches of a fir tree away from the lens with the other one…. I guess sometimes we have to put a little effort in our shots… ;-) That's all for today. Thank you for stopping by and have a great week.

Nature clicks #39 - Common Gray Treefrog

Nikon D200, Sigma 150 mm f/2.8, SB600, 1/60s, f/5.6, ISO 100

I knew they are here, even if I never saw one during the six and a half years we live in Eastern Iowa. We could hear their resonating trill, especially after a rain. But despite I peered in every tree and bush around many times, I never saw one of these little guys until a couple days ago. The Common Gray Treefrog seems to be a master of hiding itself (I hate to blame it only on my eyes ;-)  ) but finally I found one at night right on the front porch of the house. This treefrog was less than 40 mm (~1 ½") long, just to give you an idea about its real size.

There was no time for preparation. The  little guy was moving around fast and I was afraid to lose it. While Joan had an eye on it, I ran in the house, grabbed the 150/f2.8, the D200, and the SB600 flash light with a dome diffuser. The 150/f2.8 gave me enough distance to just mount the SB600 to the hot shoe of the camera. I know this sucks, but at the other hand the Common Gray Treefrog is mostly nocturnal and I believe even a direct flash tells this story. Yes, making a picture of this guy sitting between the leaves of a tree or bush would be great but I'm happy to have my first shot. This image will of course make it into my "Iowa Wildlife Gallery", which I invite you to visit by clicking right HERE. Have a wonderful Sunday!