What I Do Instead Of Pokemon Go (Short)

The other night, my friends took me along to Washington Park, where they played Pokemon Go in the twilight.  I, however, heard the calls of the local treefrog population, and began hunting them instead.  Washington Park at night is a great spot to look for treefrogs, as well as a few other animals:

This toad (Bufo spp.) hopped about in the outdoor section of the botanical gardens, hard to see because of the foliage.  I put it back after catching and photographing it.

I saw at least three Gray Treefrogs (Hyla versicolor), which I could locate  by their calls.  Nearly unafraid of people, Gray Treefrogs simply sat in the darkness as I took their pictures.  In my area, Gray Treefrogs seem to be increasing, as I hear their calls more and more frequently at night.  At the moment of this writing, a few are calling from the trees across the road.  These little frogs are chameleons, able to rapidly change the colors on their skin to blend in and hide.   During the winter, Gray Treefrogs hide under tree bark and crevicies.  They have a natural antifreeze that keeps their veins from freezing to death when they hibernate. However, the rest of the treefrog freezes for the winter, including its heartbeat and breathing.  This frog literally can stop breathing for months at a time!  In other words, the Gray Treefrog is one of the most incredible creatures around here.

I found this fellow perched on a tree branch, belting out his calls, while on the path six feet away, Pokemon Go players were walking past him, hunting for Snorlaxes or some such thing.  I'm glad Pokemon Go got people outside, but now we have to get some of them off their phones. I hope at least a few people are actually looking at the outdoors when this happens, but from my personal experience, I doubt it.  Ladies. gentlemen, and everyone else, please put the phones down and look around!  I don't meant this just for Pokemon Go players, who are generally fine people.  I mean this for all of you.  We all need to get out of our little virtual worlds and take in the outdoors sometimes.

But seriously, this little frog was making noises about as loud as a car horn, and people were just walking right by it.  It astounds me.