Columbia spotted frog

Columbia spotted frog

I grew up in Ontario as a kid and lived near natural areas that teemed with life of all kinds.  There were insects and mammals, amphibians and turtles, and lots of different kinds of fish.  We spent hours wandering around the near by wilds, exploring every nook and cranny and discovering the wide assortment of creatures that existed there.  It was there that the passion for wildlife took hold of me, where I learned to catch and identify creatures, and there that I formed an interesting bond with my brother.

The two of us are almost seven years apart, an eternity when you are young, and we never really spent much time together doing stuff.  We did, however, both develop an interest in the outdoors, him more towards fishing and me more towards photography.  As adults now we find that this is a common theme that runs through our lives, both drawn towards living things existing naturally around us.  We have both shared our passion with our children too, which is where this photo comes into play.

I was visiting my brother when he lived in Calgary, and he took his kids off to a wet land to do some "froggin'," as he calls it. I call it "huntin' for critters," but the idea is the same.  Go out to some natural area and see what is there.  Gently interact with it and return whatever is touched to its home, having experienced the wonders of its existence for a brief while.  The four of us, his two girls, him and I, drove out to a wetland area and did what we have done as children, what his girls were now doing.  We stomped through muck, got soakers, and discovered the wonders of the swamp.

We caught about a dozen frogs, one of them I took particular interest in and photographed as is my habit of doing.  This is the Columbia spotted frog, distinctive because of the noticeable spots on its head and back and because of the salmon coloured belly and leg patches.  A species which, again due to the activities of man, is on the decline.  We drain wet lands, use pesticides and herbicides, and introduce foreign species such as the bullfrog which decimates our native populations.

Today though the spotted frog in this place was wonderful and without threat.  It was in its native environment, captured only momentarily and released soon after; giving a new generation of children an appreciation for a natural and unspoiled wild places.  It also gave my brother and I a chance to bond over something we both enjoyed in our childhood; a connection which, in spite of the distance and years between us, is still there.  

I implore you all to go into the wilds and see the living things that are there.  Learn to enjoy and appreciate them.  Educate yourself to the threats which are reducing their numbers daily.  Share this with your children that they too would grow up valuing the wild places around them.  Maybe it will still be there when they are adults for their children if they will share the appreciation my brother and I both share for such things.