The Toad

I fed a toad for the second time in my life recently, and it was exhilarating.

I've always loved the toads that would come out in the summer months. I have many memories from childhood of catching them and of learning to be cautious because they will pee on you when you pick them up.

That never really stopped me when I was young. It was one of my favorite hobbies, catching the toads.

I would stand outside and listen to their noises. I would run my foot through the grass, looking and listening for a sign of movement, attempting to see a toad jumping away through the darkness. Once I found one, I would pounce. They weren't hard to catch, much easier than lizards.

One thing that would make the capture of the toads difficult was the crack in the floor between the porch and the house. They could almost always find safety in this little trench, squeezing their bodies into the thin space than even small hands could not manage. I remember finding some inside the crevice during the daylight and realizing that this was where they had their nocturnal sleep.

At that time, I simply had to disturb the poor creatures. I would stick long pieces of grass inside their shelter to wake them and bring them out to play. I'd get them out into the sunlight, and they'd hate me for it.

I also had these little bug cages. They were called bug cages but they were perfect for toads. There were many times when I would catch a toad from the backyard and then secure it into one of these cages. From there, I could peer in and look at it for a period of the evening before releasing it.

One of my favorite memories of the toads is when I discovered their diet included worms. And I helped one get a meal.

It had rained. In the same night, I was catching toads. I didn't know what would happen if a toad met an earthworm. Surely, I already understood that toads eat bugs. Everyone has seen the cartoons of that long tongue reaching out and catching a fly. Yet, I had never seen it right in front of me before.

I just happened to put it down in the right spot. In the front yard. Next to an earthworm wiggling across the sidewalk, an earthworm roaming free from the dirt after the rain had come. It happened quickly, this large toad swallowing up this wriggling worm.

Upon being set down, he discovered the worm quickly. He bit it in half, and the other half kept on wriggling. He soon finished the rest of it, swallowing it all. I had felt somewhat bad for the worm, but my amazement overrode any negative feelings.

At some point in growing up, I stopped looking for toads. I'd see them outside, and I'd ignore them. They always peed on you anyway. Then, I did something different. I remembered this thrill from my younger years. I had never forgotten when I'd accidentally fed the worm to the toad. Many times, I've thought about doing it purposefully to see it one more time.

I had been sitting outside, and much animal commotion had already taken place. June bugs had been flying about with their typical stupidity, going right into walls and then landing on their backs. A cockroach had flown right above me, a huge tree roach landing on the side of the house. The roach landed near to a lizard that was also attached to the wall. They both crawled upwards and out of sight. I had seen the toad as well. I had paid no attention to it.

I only thought of the toad again when I saw the worm. An earthworm, drawn out by my dad splashing out water from the hot tub. An earthworm, just like the one that the toad had eaten many years ago. I remembered it and I had an idea.

I proceeded to chase the toad around, throwing the worm at it. He was going to eat the worm, as I repeatedly told him to do. I was insistent on it. Finally, they were both cornered against the wall. It was where that old Toad Trench used to be, now filled with a line of wood. Toads couldn't hide themselves away there anymore. The worm tried. It didn't get far.

My little toad gave one last tiny hop. He bit into the worm, holding him in his mouth. He used his little hand to hold it, taking smaller bites than my large toad of years ago, until he had eventually swallowed the entire worm. It was one of the most exciting things I'd seen in a while. I may have repeatedly shouted "He's eating it!" like a crazy person...

#toad #nature #earthworm #frog #amphibians