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Both the flower and the frog have protection. Horace Sykes photographed flowers of all sorts, but he loved orchids and succulents. This, however, is the only frog portrait that I have found – so far – in the Sykes collection of 35mm Kodachrome slides recorded from the late 1930s into the early 1950s.
I’m no expert here, but your frog might be a toad.
Southwest Woodhouse Toad
http://www.desertusa.com/mag99/aug/papr/wtoad.html
California Desert Toads
http://www.californiaherps.com/frogs/pages/b.cognatus.html
Are you coming over to the Whitman Street Block Party later?
John
Other readers should know the Dr. John is a learned scientist whose opinions on frogs-toads should be considered, and readers are asked to do just that. I, however, will stay with frog as a generalization for all such bumpy-skin jumpers who sometimes sun themselves on logs and wait for flies while floating on water lilies. Also the musical sense of “flower and frog” is more satisfying than that of “flower and toad” it seems to me. But gadzooks he even has links. Before the net it was possible to write frog in place of toad without having someone easily confuse and correct you with evidence. And may I now challenge Dr. John to identify the flower, which would be for him a before-the-fall Adamic opportunity at assigning/creating a name for I at least cannot contradict him. I do not know it. Perhaps a Blooming Irene.
I believe the plant to be a “Crown of Thorns”, genus euphoria. Dave’s garden website has quite a few photos submitted by gardeners. The photos are located here.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/25432/
P.S. The frog looks just like the toad that likes to hang out under our air conditioner unit.
Thanks Barb for consulting Dave and your air conditioner. Now you and the scientist Ullman have me stepping back from my frog in the direction of your toad. I will not, of course, change the header for that would confused the issue of your responses and corrections. Thanks Barb. It is hot today – even in Seattle: breaking records, although up until that last two days our summer has been unusually cool. The windows are open, as I imagine they are in Galveston.