I am sitting on the back porch eating lunch when I see something moving in the grass just in front of me. Actually, I don't see the "something", but I do see the grass moving as if a "something" is making its way through it -- snake, mouse, vole? Closer inspection reveals that it is an American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus). It slowly yet purposely climbs onto to the patio stone.
I saw the toad yesterday while it was raining. An earthworm slithered by right under the toad's nose. Just as the earthworm had almost completely disappeared into a crack in the stone, the toad grabbed it by the tail and ate it.
Today, I gently reach down and pick up the toad. It sits in my cupped hand. Slowly breathing, its sides go in and out. It blinks a few times. Then in one swift leap, it is off into the ferns.
