Froggie Went A’Courtin~

On By cindy knokeIn Conservation, GARDENING AT THE HOLLER, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, Wild Life


Either Mrs Toad is expecting, or she is feasting on far too many bugs! She is over 5 inches long and quite chubby.

Dragon, the fly, needs to keep his distance, because Mrs T can spring into action quite suddenly.

Mrs T is a clever critter, who waits patiently at the right time of day for the drip line to start emitting precious water, providing needed relief for an overheated toad on hot summer days.

T is a California Western Toad, a threatened species of ‘special concern,’ due to die offs caused by fertilizer contamination, disease, and habitat destruction.

Western Toads are terrestrial, and we have a thriving colony of them inside The Holler fences.

Cheers to you & happy weekend from the comfortably chubby, and quite toadish, Mrs Toad~

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236 thoughts on “Froggie Went A’Courtin~”

  13. Oh, you do mean terrestrial! Burl Ives is my earliest recollection, but seemingly EVERYONE has recorded it. Quite a history. “Its first known appearance is in Wedderburn’s Complaynt of Scotland (1548) under the name “The Frog cam to the Myl dur”, though this is in Scots rather than English. There is a reference in the London Company of Stationers’ Register of 1580 to “A Moste Strange Weddinge of the Frogge and the Mouse.” There are many texts of the ballad; however the oldest known musical version is in Thomas Ravenscroft’s Melismata in 1611.” … “According to Albert Jack in his book “Pop Goes the Weasel, The Secret Meanings of Nursery Rhymes” (pp. 33–37, copyright 2008), the earliest known version of the song was published in 1549 as “The Frog Came to the Myl Dur” in Robert Wedderburn’s “Complaynt of Scotland”. He states that in 1547 the Scottish Queen Consort, Mary of Guise, under attack from Henry VIII, sought to marry her daughter Princess Mary (later Mary Queen of Scots), “Mrs. Mouse” to the 3 year old French Prince Louis, the “frog”. The song resurfaced a few years later, with changes, when another French (frog) wooing caused concern—that of the Duke of Anjou and Queen Elizabeth I in 1579. Elizabeth even nicknamed Anjou, her favorite suitor, “the frog”.” –Wikipedia. Who knew?!

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    1. I was going to copy bits of this back to you, as I started to read, because I was astounded, but there were too many astonishing bits to copy!
      I love all the bits of this.
      “The most strange wedding of the frog and the mouse,” 1580.
      This is a wedding I would so joyously attend. Not like a human wedding at all. British in feeling, but no need to wear a hat, whether or not, you were the frog or the mouse.
      Those canny, by necessity, English and Scottish, soon to be dead Queens, obviously watched frogs, and is this where the derogatory term for French men, “frogs,” comes from?
      Who knew?
      Simply wonderful.
      Toads (and their cousins frogs) apparently have croaked their way into our (un?) consciousness.
      Thank you so much for this.
      🐸 <3

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    1. She, Mrs T, is here right now, as it is night. I have turned on the drip irrigation, off schedule, to accommodate her. She is a toad worthy of accomodation. I suspect all toads are such 🐸

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  30. Hi Cindy. Yikes! That seems a tad large for a toad (but I wouldn’t know). She’s quite impressive with the complimentary color of her eyebrows. Yes, she was ready for her close up, Ms. DeMille!
    The detail you captured on the dragonfly is amazing. A gorgeous photo, worthy of framing. Hugs to you and everyone at the Holler.

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    1. Mrs T and I thank you for such a lovely comment Teagan & sends you cheers and wishes for a happy weekend. All of us over here and very much enjoying the continuing adventures of Hullabaloo Lulu!

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  31. Your holler is a hub for fascinating critters. And you make even Chubby T a celebrity on the endangered species list. Thank you for including me among the ugly observers of your stellar photos of T at the dripline.

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    1. Hugs to you Patricia, and if the Russians keep sending me outlook spam, I will send an army of Mrs T toads to croak them to death 😉 😉 🐸🐸🐸🐸

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  40. Let’s hope then, that she (and her offspring) will survive. Great shot of the dragon Fly.
    Have a wonderful weekend, too,
    Pit

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    1. Yes, I am watching Mrs T every night now, along with Valentine the owlet. Everything should be fine, as long as the Valentine doesn’t start watching Mrs T! 🐸

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    1. Well he rode up to Miss Mousey’s door, uh-huh
      He rode up to Miss Mousey’s door, uh-huh
      He rode up to Miss Mousey’s door
      Gave three loud raps and a very big roar, uh-huh
      Said, “Miss Mouse, are you within?” uh-huh
      Said he, “Miss Mouse, are you within?” uh-huh
      Said, “Miss Mouse, are you within?”
      “Yes, kind sir, I sit and spin, ” uh-huh
      He took Miss Mousey on his knee, uh-huh
      Took Miss Mousey on his knee, uh-huh
      Took Miss Mousey on his knee.
      Said, “Miss Mousey, will you marry me?” uh-huh

      Miss Mousie married him because he was toadally persuasive.

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      1. Brilliant!!!And they lived happily ever after. There are many stories in the Holler and I look forward to every one that shows up in my reader. Hugs coming your way.

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