Woodhouse's Toad (Anaxyrus woodhousii)

29 May 2016
South Lakes Park
Denton, Denton County, Texas

The singing by what seemed to be hundreds of Woodhouse's Toads at night in a drainage ditch couldn't have been any louder. Like the amplified sound of an orchestral symphony, the toads' song coming from the drainage ditch made the people walking and jogging the trail wonder what frog (or toad) was responsible for the chorus. It turned out to be a toad. For there in the light of one of the lampposts that occur periodically in the 2.37-mile course was a lone representative indicating the answer to the riddle. It must have been feeding on the insects that gather beneath the light and the Humans passing by mostly left it alone (except to take its pic) and it was past being scared off by this occasional traffic and interest. Woodhouse's Toad's song ruled the airwaves at the park at night and there was just no avoiding it. Instead, it was enjoyed by all passersby. This toad occurs throughout the central and southwestern states of the United States and northern Mexico (see the range map provided at the IUCN site below). Woodhouse's Toad is an authentic resident of North America and the Western Hemisphere. South Lakes Park is administered by the City of Denton, Texas.

Source: "Anaxyrus woodhousii," International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), description, range map, accessed 5.30.16, http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/54798/0