Because That's How We Do Things: Frog Hunt '09

We all know JD hunts. But you might not know that he's actually pretty good about noticing 'stuff' around him too. When he got home from his last hunt, he told me about this frozen pond with "500 or so frogs beneath the ice". Obviously, I didn't believe him. Maybe it was because he said they were bullfrogs and since his explanation of catching bullfrogs with a red string and fishing line as a kid, I have become a wee-bit obsessed with finding these seemingly invisible amphibians. The temptation that 500 of them could be trapped beneath the ice awaiting my investigation was almost simply too good to be true.

My response to my own disbelief was simple: I guess I'm just going to have to see it for myself then. The enthusiasm spread and soon, the 'frog hunt' was a family affair.

I think it's important that you know something first. When going to look at frogs that are frozen beneath a pond, it's imperative that you pack some kind of ice cracking tool. Like, for instance, this rock hammer:

If you don't have a handy device like this one, then you'll end up doing like JD did and try shooting a hole through the ice with your shotgun. Not very smart, if you ask me. (oh, and just so you know...he did the shooting when he was hunting, not when all the kids were standing around looking at the pond) :) Still not very smart though. If you ask me.

We finally arrived at the pond and sure enough....500 frogs beneath the surface of the ice. They weren't bull frogs though. At least not that I could tell but I'm certainly no frog expert.

...and like a said, a family affair.

About this time, JD looked at me and saw the fire in my eyes.

"Catch one, JAY!"

and if you know JD well, then you aware that he doesn't disappoint in the 'catch one' department. Once he caught a finch in mid flight just because I said he couldn't.

And what's even funnier is he always responds with the same question,

"Which one do you want?"

And as we all stand around trying to find the biggest, fattiest frogs we can, JD starts pulling them out one by one and laying them on a rock. Can you just feel the excitement? They were still pretty sleepy at this point.

Did you know that hibernating frogs don't breathe? Well, they do actually but it's through their skin. I didn't know that 'til I googled it after this trip. It's amazing the science you can learn when you just see something weird...like 500 frogs frozen in a pond. Some frogs even 'hibernate' from the heat and burrow into mud holes. But that's not called hibernation, it's called estivation. Neat, huh? Frogs are cold blooded hibernators, which is kinda weird to me- like an oxymoron. If they're cold blooded, you'd think they'd be just fine in the cold. Bees are cold blooded hibernators too though, did you know that? I'd like to wake a wasp up slowly and then light its wings on fire. I hate wasps. All they are good for is stingin' my babies anyway! hUMPH. Does that make me weird?

back to frogs....

Oh, and did I tell you that JD is also the frog-whisperer? He can literally put a frog to sleep by rubbing it's belly. It's weird.

And if you think he can put me to sleep that way, you're out of your mind. He knows to stay away from my belly.

These little hibernators were all just huddled up here ready for their winter's nap. That is, until a shotgun blast through the ice, a rock hammer chipping away at the window to their world, and screaming on-lookers changed their world forever.

I'd like to say that JD rubbed their bellies until they fell back into their peaceful slumber, but the truth is we just dropped them back in their hole.

We didn't take any home.

We didn't eat any.

We just put them right back. :)

But I will say that it's whole lot easier to explain hibernation to a kid when you can see the sleeping frogs, get one, and wake 'em up.

Thanks for yet {another} family adventure JD :)