Frog and toad. And mosquitoes.

One would think that summer time is the best time to be out and about exploring. And one would be right.

My summer starting on June 6 or thereabouts included trips to DC, the Badlands (three times!), Jackson WY and Yellowstone National Park, Kyle SD, the South East passage of Alaska, and Omaha. All but one were work related though they were all pleasure trips as well. I took pictures whenever time and setting allowed. I even added a few observations to iNaturalist from my travels.

I am back home and will be for a while yet. I don't know when or if I will travel like that again. Fortunately, being an explorer doesn't rely on traveling as  much as it does on observing.

Today I took my camera out and about to see what I could see. And I saw quite a bit. The list includes
- A bumblebee with red stripes. I'm thinking it's a Hunt's Bumblebee. (Update: Hunt's Bumblee ID confirmed by an iNaturalist curator).
- Pelicans
- Norther Flicker
- A cicada molt
- A cicada killer wasp
- A leopard frog
- A toad (were the frog and toad friends?)
- Mosquitoes. Lots and lots of mosquitoes.

For various reasons there is a lot of standing water around and this means mosquitoes. At one point, near where I saw the frog and toad, I walked through standing water which had been standing for quite a time if the odor released by the muck I disturbed was any indication. Without a supply of oxygen, mud that has been inundated for a while will go anaerobic which smells about as bad as anything I've come across

But back to the mosquitoes. I had 25% DEET spray with me which is not my favorite item to use because of the sensitivity of amphibians. Generally, I use long pants and sleeves for protection but these mosquitoes were ravenous so I sprayed my exposed areas and shirt. Many landed on my DEET free pants (fortunately tightly woven). I finally began to jog to get away from them. I know from experience I can outrun mosquitoes but not butterflies. The mosquitoes followed me in a cloud for  bit. It was a relief to get back to dry land and out in the open where the wind swept them away.


Frog

And toad.








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