Update from Goose Lake

Hi everyone,

And here we are at Saturday. Yesterday we recorded another 3+ inches of rain and a pair of toads promptly showed up in our pool. They seemed to be good friends. As I watched, she laid out a long strand of eggs into the water that resembled a DNA double helix. Feeling like a midwife, I scooped both toads out with my hands. They gazed around for a few minutes before hopping off in different directions. The male paused briefly at the edge of a large hostas plant, piped a tired little note, and disappeared.

The eggs won’t make it of course. If the sting of chlorine doesn’t get them, the crushing will of the robot on patrol will. The toads won’t know of the tragedy. Or care. True to their nature, they successfully mated, left the proof under four feet of water at the bottom of our pool, and hopped on to other matters. Whether the eggs prosper or perish is of no concern to them. That’s why so many toads leave so many eggs this time of year. Some will survive and that’s all that matters.

With apologies for the hurried photography, that’s all for now at Goose Lake.