Photograph from Amphibian Ark News
We lived next to a bayou in Houston when I was young. Summer evenings were full of the sounds of cicadas and frogs, with a light show provided by the fireflies. When the frog songs stopped in Houston, I thought it was because civilization had moved too close.
When my son was about 10 he had to have a Tree Frog that he named Mr. Froggy. Then he had to have a female frog that he named--you guessed it--Mrs. Froggy. The first time I heard Mr. Froggy sing, I realized that I had not heard frog song in a long tjme. It saddened me.
Frogs and other amphibians are a crucial part of the food chain. They consume millions of tons of insects and then become food for other animals. One of the greatest mass extinctions since the dinosaurs is taking place now and it includes frogs. Amphibians have been on this planet for more than 360 million years. Now, half of the 6,000 species are undergoing dying off.
If you also remember frog song from your youth, please view Nature Frogs: The Thin Green Line on Sunday, April 5, 2009 at 8 pm (ET) on PBS (click here to check local listings).