Frog Season

The Missouri Botanical Garden is one of the best places in the city. One of the best places in that best place is what Mary and I affectionately refer to as the Frog Spot. It's located in the English Woodland Garden, just over a little bridge. This spot consists of a tiny pond (almost a glorified puddle) whose only real defining feature is a statue of three skinny naked women. Most people look at it, shrug, and walk on. Those people are missing out. This is where all of the toads like to hang out in the Garden. Amphibian Party Central.

Walking through the Garden in the summer, Mary and I would always go out of our way to visit the Frog Spot, getting into a competition of who could see the most frogs. You must understand, it's harder than it looks. The water in this pond is a dark reflective green, and the frogs (which are huge, by the way) are approximately the same color, camouflaged so that nobody can gig them and deep fry their legs, I suppose.

Summer turned to winter eventually, and the pond froze over. The three naked statuesque women were not only surely freezing, but also lonely for their usual croaking company. I know nothing about amphibian biology, so I have no idea where frogs go during the winter. Do they hibernate under the ice? Do they do a migratory hop south? Do they all die off? Whatever the case, quiet Garden walks in the crunching snow ensured that our frog spotting game always ended with the tie score 0-0.

Today, the Garden was alive like it hadn't been since all of the leaves fell off of the trees. Green is sprouting everywhere. Tulips and flowering dogwoods have taken over. The parking lot is full. It was a pleasant stroll through the new warm season. I knew to expect the new bright colors and crowds that come with 76 degree weather in the Garden.

What I did not expect? We spotted frogs for the fist time in the Spot. 8 total. Welcome home. Welcome to Spring.